Robert Lewandowski scored twice as FC Barcelona dominated Newcastle United in a Champions League match on Wednesday. Following the game, Lewandowski discussed adjusting to playing with a protective mask after suffering a fractured cheekbone.
Barcelona secured a resounding 7-2 victory, advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals. Even as Lewandowski missed a clear opportunity in the first half, he found the back of the net twice after the break.
– I was happy that we were creating these chances. Personally, I prefer to have goal-scoring opportunities than not. If I miss one, I experience like I’m in the game, and sometimes you just need to endeavor a different angle, choose a shooting direction, but you start to feel the space. Then it’s easier to take the next chance. We find moments when you don’t score, but you have confidence and say, “Okay, not now, maybe in a moment.” – Lewandowski said.
– In the first half, we lacked a bit of balance to hold onto the ball. We could have played better defensively. From the start of the second half, we felt we had more space, more time. There was too much chaos in the first half. It looked much better in the second, and we scored more goals – he assessed.
Lewandowski removed his mask after each goal. He explained to reporters that initially, adapting to the mask hadn’t been easy, particularly with heading the ball.
– The first two weeks after the injury were not easy. It was a fracture, and I wasn’t sure if I could head the ball at 100 percent. Yesterday, I did a training session where I headed the ball a lot to secure a feel for it and the timing. I think that helped me. With Sevilla, I aimed in one direction, and the ball went another. Today it went in, and I hope it continues to go in – he admitted.
Lewandowski will now join the Poland national team for a crucial World Cup qualifying match against Albania. The captain made it clear that the team’s objective is to secure a spot in the tournament.
– I don’t approach this as potentially being one of my last matches with the national team. I don’t think about it that way at all. I’m approaching it like a semi-final playoff, which we need to win, and then play in the final and qualify for the World Cup. I have no other approach, because why would I? This is a national team match, and only as a team can we achieve qualification. That is our goal – he declared.
