FC Barcelona 3-0 Brest: Stronghold blaugrana
Back to winning ways. FC Barcelona have won 3-0 to end Brest's unbeaten record in the Champions League, while climbing further up the table to sit in second as it stands.
Always on the hunt for goals, Lewandowski broke the visitors' resistance in the first half to set the blaugranes on the way to victory. Brest were resilient and made the occasional foray into Barça territory, but Lewandowski and Pedri managed to create an opening that led to the first half penalty.
Goals keep coming for Lewy
Pedri's wonderful pass saw Robert Lewandowski fouled by Brest keeper Marco Bizot. Up he got and dusted himself down, before scoring the penalty that means FC Barcelona's number 9 now has 100 Champions League goals. The 1-0 scoreline made it all the more difficult for Brest, who were running hard to try to disrupt the blaugranes' possession game.
They may have been dominating, but Barça were unable to add to their tally before the break. Fermín, Raphinha and Lewandowski all had efforts, but to no avail, either due to a lack of effectiveness in front of goal or the final ball falling short of requirements when under opponent pressure.
Second finally comes
The French side were holding on, but Hansi Flick's charges were still racking up the attacking stats. One goal didn't feel enough, however, and the visitors seemed to take heart from the slim lead.
However, with Pedri oozing quality to energise the blaugranes, Gerard Martín and Olmo combined for the latter to weave his way to score to great applause from the 46,317 fans at the Estadi Olímpic. 2-0 after 66 minutes.
As is almost always the norm for this Hansi Flick Barça side, Brest later had a goal ruled out for offside. The French side kept trying to break through the defence, but Iñaki Peña, MVP Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez ensured things remained tight at the back for FC Barcelona.
Still time to make it 3-0, and who else but Robert Lewandowski (min 90+2) to make it 101 goals in the Champions League for the Polish striker, plus a total of 22 goals already so far this season across all competitions.
So, another win for Barça, this time against a previously unbeaten Brest in the 2024/25 Champions League. A valuable three points to continue climbing the table in Europe's premier club competition. Flick's side will be buoyed by this win, and a day after the Club's 125th anniversary, Barça welcome Las Palmas with the aim of continuing this so far positive season.
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