Late Olmo, Lewandowski Goals Fire Barcelona to Seven-Point La Liga Lead

Late Olmo, Lewandowski Goals Fire Barcelona to Seven-Point La Liga Lead

Barcelona strengthened their grip on the La Liga title race after two late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski sealed a dramatic Catalan derby victory over Espanyol, extending their lead at the top of the table to seven points.

Hansi Flick’s side endured a frustrating evening until the closing minutes, when substitute Fermín López turned the match on its head. With just four minutes remaining, López threaded a precise pass to Olmo, who curled a superb strike into the top corner to break the deadlock. Moments later, the midfielder dazzled down the right flank before setting up Lewandowski, who finished clinically from close range in the 90th minute.

The victory underlined Barcelona’s late-game dominance this season, with the Catalan giants now scoring 12 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches, more than any other team in La Liga.

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Espanyol started brightly in the high-tempo derby, with former Blackburn Rovers forward Tyrhys Dolan forcing an early save after just four minutes. The hosts remained resilient for much of the contest, aided by several important interventions from goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who faced his former club after leaving Espanyol last summer following nine years at the club.

Substitute goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović also kept Espanyol in contention, producing a vital save in the 72nd minute to deny Eric Garcia from close range, as a draw appeared likely before Barcelona’s late surge.

The result leaves Real Madrid second in the standings, with the chance to cut the gap to four points if they defeat Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday.

Espanyol, who have not beaten Barcelona in the league since 2009, remain in fifth place despite the narrow defeat.

Late Olmo, Lewandowski Goals Fire Barcelona to Seven-Point La Liga Lead