Polish striker Robert Lewandowski made a significant statement regarding his future at Barcelona with an outstanding hat-trick that secured a remarkable comeback victory against Valencia.
Before the match, speculations circulated about Xavi Hernandez contemplating dropping Lewandowski from the lineup.
However, Lewandowski silenced his critics with a stellar performance against a formidable Valencia side.
Barcelona initially took the lead courtesy of Fermin Lopez's header, but Valencia quickly responded as Hugo Duro capitalized on Marc-Andre ter Stegen's error to equalize.
Valencia then seized the lead with a penalty converted by Pepelu after Ronald Araujo fouled in the box.
Despite a shaky defensive display, Barcelona found hope as Lewandowski flicked home a corner to level the score.
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In the dying minutes, Lewandowski came to the rescue once more, heading in Barcelona's third goal from a corner. Then, in stoppage time, he completed his hat-trick with a powerful free-kick, sealing the victory for Barcelona.
Giorgi Mamardashvili's red card in stoppage time of the first half affected Valencia's tempo, paving the way for Barca to stage the comeback.
The match also marked Xavi's first outing since his return as the boss of the Catalan club after initially reconsidering his decision.
