Barcelona had to dig deep on Thursday night as they came from behind to secure a 3-1 win over Real Oviedo in La Liga.
The Catalans were stunned in the first half after goalkeeper Joan Garcia made a costly error. Rushing out of his box, he gifted possession straight to Alberto Reina, who calmly struck from distance to give Oviedo a shock lead in the 33rd minute.
Despite controlling most of the opening half, Barcelona found themselves trailing at the break. Marcus Rashford, starting on the left after being benched the previous weekend for disciplinary reasons, looked lively but was repeatedly denied by Oviedo goalkeeper Aaron Escandell, who pulled off a string of impressive saves.
Hansi Flick turned to his bench at half-time, introducing Frenkie de Jong, and the move paid off almost instantly. Eric Garcia drew Barcelona level early in the second half, finishing from close range after Escandell had initially denied Ferran Torres.
The pressure kept mounting, and substitute Robert Lewandowski put Barca in front with a towering header. The Polish striker, who had only been on the pitch for five minutes, rose to meet De Jong’s cross, his effort crashing in off the underside of the bar.
Oviedo pushed to stay in the contest, but Barcelona’s quality eventually told. Ronald Araujo sealed the victory in the 88th minute, heading home from Rashford’s corner to ensure Flick’s men collected all three points.
The win keeps Barcelona second in the table, just two points behind leaders Real Madrid, who extended their perfect start to the season with victory earlier in the week.
Real Oviedo, meanwhile, can take pride in their fight. Back in the top flight for the first time since the 2000/01 season, they handed a start to veteran midfielder Santi Cazorla, now 40, who rolled back the years with moments of composure. But in the end, they could not contain Barcelona’s firepower.
Barcelona will now turn their focus to their clash against Real Sociedad at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, while Madrid face Atletico in a heated derby the day before.
