Lewandowski Praises Youngsters For Victory At Valencia

Barcelona striker, Robert Lewandowski, expressed his pride in the team’s performance during their 2-1 comeback win at Valencia in their La Liga season opener on Saturday.

He praised his side’s youngsters who started in place of several injured players.

With Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and Frenkie De Jong all out, new manager Hansi Flick gave 20-year-old academy midfielder, Marc Casado his senior debut, playing alongside three 17-year-olds Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal.

Nonetheless, Barcelona demonstrated sufficient resilience to mount a comeback and secure victory, thanks to a Lewandowski brace.

“It was very important to start with a win in such a difficult stadium and with the problems we faced,” Lewandowski told Movistar Plus.

“We didn’t play well for the first 20 to 25 minutes. In the first half, we had problems getting close to their box, but then we started playing much better, and we did it with three or four very young players.

“If you can win like this with such young players, it is something special, and they have shown a big potential. There were no signs of a lack of experience; they played very well with possession and without the ball. We could have won by a larger margin, but it’s great to start the season with a win.”

Lewandowski also won the MVP award at Mestalla and Barca will be hoping he can enjoy another prolific season under Hansi Flick.