FC Barcelona faced an uphill battle at the Carlos Tartiere Stadium against Real Oviedo in La Liga, with the home side stunning the visitors by scoring first. But Robert Lewandowski came off the bench to turn the tide, netting a decisive header that also saw him draw level with Neymar’s scoring record at the club.
Heading into Matchday 6, Barcelona were looking to close the gap on league leaders Real Madrid, who remain perfect to start the season. That task became more complicated when goalkeeper Joan García’s mistake gifted Alberto Reina the opener in the 33rd minute, putting Oviedo ahead.
Barcelona struck back after the break. In the 56th minute, Eric García pounced on a rebound to level the score. Fourteen minutes later, he set up Frenkie de Jong, who delivered a pinpoint cross from the right for Lewandowski. The Polish striker rose above his marker, powered a header off the bar and in, completing the comeback.
With Lamine Yamal sidelined by injury, head coach Hansi Flick made the surprising decision to leave Lewandowski on the bench for tactical reasons. But with the attack struggling to create danger, the German manager introduced him in the 65th minute for Raphinha. Just five minutes later, the veteran striker made his presence felt with the go-ahead goal, and with Ronald Araujo’s goal in the 88th minute, Barca are now in second place with 16 points.
Lewandowski ties Neymar’s Barcelona record
Neymar remains one of Barcelona’s most prolific forwards in recent memory, forming part of the legendary trio with Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi. But his goalscoring mark has now been matched by Lewandowski, just three years since his arrival to the club.
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The header against Real Oviedo was Lewandowski’s 105th goal for Barcelona, a milestone he reached in just 153 appearances. Neymar, now playing at Santos, also scored 105 times for Barca during his spell from 2013 to 2017, but required 186 matches to do so.
Since his arrival from Bayern Munich in 2022, Lewandowski has shown little sign of decline. Even at 37 years old, the Polish star remains among Europe’s elite strikers. With his contract set to expire at the end of this season, his continued production could yet earn him another year in Barcelona colors.
