FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernández has praised two of his stars, striker Robert Lewandowski and goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegan, after their recent La Liga victory against Mallorca at the Estadi de Son Moix.
Both teams had a slow start to the game and were struggling to create chances. However, in the 20th minute of the match, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scored an excellent goal to give the Catalans a 1-0 lead in the match.
For his part, Marc Andre ter Stegan made an excellent save from close range to prevent Jaume Costa from finishing in the 35th minute. Barcelona took a 1-0 lead back to the locker room.
After the restart, Lewandowski came close to catching the Mallorca goalkeeper as he chased a ball out of the box. Stegan then deflected a cross from Antonio Sánchez off the goal and kept another clean sheet. The culés managed to endure the last minutes and achieved their sixth victory of the season.
The Barcelona coach praised Stegan and Lewandowski
Following the win, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez praised stars ter Stegan and Lewandowski and explained how important their effort was in winning the match against Mallorca.
Xavi said: “It would not be nice to explain everything with Ter Stegen and Lewandowski, there is more to it than that. Although it is clear that they have made a difference tonight. Marc is in spectacular shape. And Robert is a world-class goalscorer, perhaps the best in the world.”
Robert Lewandoski scored the only goal of the match with a brilliant shot that meant the three points for the Catalans. Since he joined Barcelona at the start of the season, this was Lewandowski’s ninth La Liga goal in just seven appearances.
In a short time he has become the leader of Barcelona’s forward line. The Polish striker is currently among the best players in the world and guarantees many goals. Xavi admitted the same during the press conference.
After undergoing surgery, Marc Andre ter Stegan’s career was extremely successful. The Barcelona goalkeeper suffered a lot during the last two seasons and it seemed that he will never be at his best again.
However, Stegan has stopped all the critics and has made critical saves after saves. He now hasn’t conceded a single goal in his last five La Liga games and is in excellent form at the moment. Xavi knows this perfectly well and will expect the German goalkeeper to continue his brilliant form.
Whats Next?
With this victory, Barcelona surpasses Real Madrid in points and is in pole position in the League. However, Madrid will have a chance to get back on top if they get a win today.
Barcelona will now play Inter Milan in their next UEFA Champions League outing. The Blaugrana suffered a defeat in their last UCL match. They will hope to get back on the winning path.
