MADRID: With a defender moving in front of him and blocking his view inside the area, Robert Lewandowski stayed calm.
The veteran striker patiently waited for a gap, then quickly used his backheel to gently send the ball into the far corner for a beautiful goal.
Lewandowski continues to make scoring look easy after joining Barcelona from Bayern Munich. Barcelona’s top signing this season found the net twice on Sunday to lead the Catalan club to a 4-0 rout of Valladolid in the Spanish league.
It was the fourth goal in three matches for Lewandowski, who had also scored a double in the 4-1 win at Real Sociedad last weekend. He was also twice denied by the woodwork at the Camp Nou on Sunday.
“He is extraordinary,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández said of Lewandowski. “He is a natural leader who has been helping us greatly.”
Pedri González and Sergi Roberto also scored for Barcelona, which had opened with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano at home.
The 34-year-old Lewandowski, signed from Bayern for nearly $50 million, got on the board in the 24th minute by completing a nice pass by Raphinha, another one of Barcelona new signings who has been playing well.
Pedri added to the lead in the 43rd from near the penalty spot after an assist by Ousmane Dembélé, who also set up Lewandowski’s superb backheel goal in the 64th. Roberto closed the scoring in stoppage time.
“We knew what kind of player we had signed,” newly signed Barcelona defender Jules Koundé said of Lewandowski. “He is a top striker and he shows it with his goals and with how he helps the team.”
Barcelona finally could count on Koundé, who had not been registered ahead of the first two rounds because the club wasn’t able to abide with the league’s fair play regulations. The former Sevilla defender started in the right back position and impressed in his debut.
Valladolid, owned by former Brazil and Barcelona great Ronaldo, is back in the first division after a one-year absence.
Lewandowski scores 2 again as Barcelona routs Valladolid
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Lewandowski scores 2 again as Barcelona routs Valladolid
- Barcelona’s top signing this season found the net twice on Sunday to lead the Catalan club to a 4-0 rout of Valladolid in the Spanish league
Austria get FIFA approval ahead of World Cup to pick Dortmund’s Chukwuemeka and PSV’s Wanner
- The 22-year-old Chukwuemeka played for Aston Villa and Chelsea before moving to Dortmund
- The 20-year-old Wanner came through the Bayern Munich academy
ZURICH: Austria got permission from FIFA to select former England and Germany youth internationals ahead of playing at the World Cup against Argentina and Lionel Messi.
Borussia Dortmund winger Carney Chukwuemeka and PSV Eindhoven midfielder Paul Wanner both were born in Austria and eligible under FIFA rules to change their eligibility.
Chukwuemeka’s switch from England and Wanner’s transfer of eligibility from Germany were approved by FIFA late Monday.
Austria, coached by Ralf Rangnick, are in a World Cup group with defending champion Argentina, Algeria and Jordan.
The 22-year-old Chukwuemeka played for Aston Villa and Chelsea before moving to Dortmund. He was an England youth international who also was eligible through his parents to play for Nigeria.
The 20-year-old Wanner came through the Bayern Munich academy and played on loan last season with Heidenheim. He moved last August to PSV, which gave him the playmaker’s No. 10 jersey.
Austria will play at a men’s World Cup for the first time since 1998. The team open against Jordan on June 16 at the San Francisco 49ers’ stadium, then play Argentina at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium and Algeria at the Kansas City Chiefs’ home.
Chukwuemeka and Wanner will first be eligible for warmup games this month when Austria host Ghana and South Korea, which both qualified for the World Cup.
