Barcelona were forced to come back from a goal behind to beat Real Oviedo 3-1 on Thursday with summer signing Joan Garcia’s early mistake put the Blaugrana on the back foot.
Despite going a goal behind in the first half, Hansi Flick’s side recovered thanks to the influence of Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong, with the win keeping Barca’s title race alive as they remain just two points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Flick’s side were not ruthless in the opening 45 minutes, creating chances but paying for a defensive lapse; however, they proved unstoppable in the second half, converting pressure into goals.
Garcia’s misdirected pass to Alberto Reina led to Oviedo’s opener in the 33rd minute to put Barca on the back foot, but following the game, Flick supported summer signing goalkeeper Garcia whose misdirected pass to Alberto Reina led to Oviedo’s opener in the 33rd minute.
“It’s the style we want him to play, and it can happen, that’s what I have to say,” said Flick.
“He’s a fantastic goalkeeper, the one who defends our back line, and he always does it very well. It was a mistake, and they took advantage of it, but it’s football, and the important thing is that we won.”
Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring Barcelona’s second goal during the match against Real Oviedo. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
After a sluggish first half, Flick turned to his stars. De Jong replaced Marc Casado at half-time, giving Barca more control in midfield, while Lewandowski came on for Raphinha, and quickly made the difference by scoring the second goal to put Barcelona ahead. The Dutchman assisted the Polish striker and the pair were decisive in turning the match around.
“That’s why they’re here in the team [Lewandowski and De Jong]. In the first half, we played well, even though they scored, but we had a lot of chances. In the second half, I told them we had to keep going, play calmly, and be confident in playing with the ball, and we did well. Of course, we made the substitutions at the right time, with Frenkie and Lewy, and we were able to earn three points.”
Barcelona now turn their attention to hosting Real Sociedad at the Montjuic Stadium this weekend, before their much anticipated challenge against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
