Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Barcelona fought back after conceding an early goal to beat lowly Alavés 2-1 in La Liga on Sunday.
Alavés’s 19-year-old striker Samu Omorodion shocked Barça when he opened the scoring 18 seconds after kick-off with a close-range strike after a quick counterattack and the hosts were lucky to go in at the break only one goal down.
Alavés missed several chances, including a close-range effort from Omorodion in the 30th minute. However, Barça got back on top in the second half and Lewandowski equalised with a towering header in the 52nd minute from a Jules Koundé cross from the right touchline.
In the 77th minute, the Alavés defender Abdelkabir Abqar fouled Raphinha inside the box and Lewandowski scored the winner from the spot with a tidy penalty high into the middle of the goal.
Barça are third on 30 points, two behind Real Madrid in second and four behind surprise leaders Girona.
Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Lino struck late in the second half as Atlético Madrid came from behind to beat Villarreal 3-1 in the Spanish capita.
Struggling Villarreal, who sacked manager José Rojo ‘Pacheta’ on Friday, grabbed an early lead when Gerard Moreno netted a first-time strike on the rebound in the 20th minute. But the hosts, the only team in La Liga to have won all of their home games this season, equalised in added time before the break with a close-range strike by Axel Witsel.
Atlético got back on top in the second half but did not find the net again until the 80th minute, when Griezmann fired home from close range from a Pablo Barrios cross. Five minutes later, the substitute Lino scored with a fine individual effort, securing the points with a tidy finish. With a game in hand, Atlético are fourth in the La Liga on 28 points.
