Robert Lewandowski kept up his great form on Sunday by scoring a hat trick in just 25 minutes, helping Barcelona win 3-0 against Alaves and placing them at the top of the Spanish league before the international break.
Lewandowski found the net in the seventh, 22nd, and 32nd minutes, bringing his league total to 10 goals in nine matches. He now has 12 goals in 11 games across all competitions and has scored eight times in his last five matches.
The Polish striker had just scored twice in Barcelona’s 5-0 victory over Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday.
“We played a very good match from the first minute,” Lewandowski said. “When you score three goals in the first half, it gives you the ability to be a lot more in control in the second.”
This win put Barcelona three points ahead of Real Madrid before the international break. Madrid had caught up with Barcelona by winning 2-0 against third-place Villarreal on Saturday.
Before this match, Barcelona had suffered its first league loss of the season, a 4-2 defeat against Osasuna, after winning their first seven matches.
Lewandowski scored his goals with close-range shots, receiving two assists from Raphinha and one from Eric Garcia.
For Alaves, this was their third straight loss, and they did not have any shots on goal in the first half.
Barcelona lost forward Ferran Torres to an apparent muscle injury just five minutes into the game.
