Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - August 24, 2024 FC Barcelona's Lamine Yamal celebrates scoring their first goal with Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde REUTERS/Nacho Doce
BARCELONA (Reuters) -Striker Robert Lewandowski smashed home a rebound to earn Barcelona a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in an absorbing LaLiga clash on Saturday.
A deflected strike by teenager Lamine Yamal in the 24th minute gave Barca the lead. The visitors levelled in the 42nd minute when Oihan Sancet converted a penalty after defender Pau Cubarsi fouled Alex Berenguer inside the box.
Lewandowski netted the winner in the 75th minute from a rebound by the goalkeeper to give Barca their second win in as many games.
Barcelona are level with Celta Vigo at the top the LaLiga standings on six points. Athletic are 15th with one point from two matches.
Although the Catalonia giants dominated possession, Athletic were always a threat on the break with brothers Inaki and Nico Williams a constant menace, forcing Marc-Andre ter Stegen into several top-class saves.
Still missing key players like Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Frenkie De Jong due to injury and new signing Dani Olmo yet to be registered, new manager Hansi Flick relied on the superb form of his forwards Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha.
Brazilian Raphinha stood out again playing as an attacking midfielder, creating several chances and feeding his team mates with precise passing.
Barca opened the scoring in the 24th minute when 17-year-old Yamal recovered a rebound from a free kick and fired a curling shot through a crowded box that deflected off the head of Athletic defender Inigo Lekue into the net.
Athletic equalised through a tidy finish from Sancet but Barcelona dominated the second half with Lewandowski almost scoring twice, hitting the post again with a header and having a close-range volley saved by goalkeeper Alex Padilla.
Lewandowski was rewarded in the 75th minute when Padilla palmed away a cross from Pedri but gifted the rebound to the Polish striker who firing an unstoppable half-volley into the empty net for his third goal of the season.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas in Madrid, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Ed Osmond)
