Barcelona beat Valencia 4:2 at home in the last match of the 33rd round of the Spanish La Liga.
The Catalans opened through Fermin López in the 22nd minute, but allowed a complete reversal after accurate interventions by Hugo Duro and Pepelu from the penalty spot. The key moment in the match came in the added time of the first part, when the Bats were left with ten men on the field after their goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili received a direct red card.
The home team's numerical advantage was quickly exploited and four minutes after the break, Robert Lewandowski restored parity. Again, the Pole was in the arms of his teammates in the 82nd minute, and at the end he completed his hat-trick to put an end to the dispute.
Barcelona, whose manager Xavi recently announced he will remain in charge of the team after initially deciding to leave at the end of the campaign, is 11 points behind leaders Real Madrid with five rounds to go. Valencia is in eighth place with 47 points, four away from the Europa zone.
In the next round, Barca visit Girona in a Catalan derby, while the Bats host Alaves. /BGNES
