BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona survived a tricky first half to beat Valencia 4-2 with the help of a second half hat trick from Robert Lewandowski and a red card to Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili on Monday.
On a rainy night in Catalonia, the home side dominated possession but was behind at the break due to two defensive errors.
Fermín López put Barcelona ahead with a lovely glancing header midway through the first half.
Valencia levelled just five minutes later thanks to a woeful intervention from keeper Marc Ter Stegen. He intercepted a long ball 25 yards from his goal but he tried to be too fancy and Hugo Duro easily dispossessed him and ran the ball into the empty net.
Before halftime, Valencia took the lead thanks to another elementary mistake. Ronald Araújo’s mistimed tackle felled Peter Federico in the box and Pepelu coolly converted the spot kick.
Insider Q&A: CIA's chief technologist's cautious embrace of generative AI
'Beautiful' student, 19, felt dizzy at dress fitting for her mother's wedding
Floods in southern Brazil kill at least 60, with 101 people missing
Victory may be in sight for Starmer but the polls can be deceptive
A warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest was requested. But no decision was made about whether to issue it
Driver dies after crashing into White House perimeter gate, Secret Service says
Miami is hotter than ever! Here's what to do in America's most exciting city
Dunlap declared PGA Tour Champions winner after rain washes out final round
The unstoppable duo of Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos
Leverkusen extends unbeaten record to 48 games with 5