Barcelona, March 31 (H.S.): Robert Lewandowski delivered a stunning performance, scoring two goals, leading Barcelona to a 4-1 victory over Girona. With this win, Barcelona ascended to the top of the La Liga table, surpassing Real Madrid and establishing a three-point lead.

In the match held on Sunday, Real Madrid had drawn level with Barcelona by defeating Leganés, but Hansie Flick's team regained the lead at the Olympic Stadium.

Lewandowski responded to Real Madrid's star Kylian Mbappé’s two goals with two of his own, maintaining a three-goal lead in the race for the Spanish Golden Boot.

Barcelona, who remain unbeaten in 20 matches this year, scored their first goal from a last-minute own goal by Ladislav Krejčí. Girona equalized through Arnaut Danjuma, but subsequent goals from Lewandowski (two) and Ferran Torres sealed the team's victory.

Girona, which defeated Barcelona twice last season, failed to replicate performance this time and slipped to 13th place in the standings.

Flick rotated several key players keeping in mind the upcoming Copa del Rey semifinal against Atletico Madrid.

In the first half, Barcelona dominated, but their attacking style was not as effective. The team's intensity from Firmin López and the speed of Lamine Yamal challenged Girona’s defense several times.

The first good chance for Girona was created by Viktor Tsygankov, but his shot went over the bar. Paulo Gazzaniga spectacularly stopped efforts from López and Yamal.

Barcelona demanded a penalty when Firmin was brought down by Yaser Asprilla on the edge of the box, but the referee awarded a free kick instead. A VAR check revealed that the contact was inside the box, but the referee decided that López had fouled Asprilla first.

Barcelona took the lead before the break when Yamal's free kick was intended for Eric Garcia, but the ball deflected off Crazy's foot and went into the net. In the eighth minute of the second half, Danjuma brought the score to 1-1 with a brilliant finish from a pass by Daley Blind.

However, Barcelona quickly responded. Robert Lewandowski scored after receiving a cross from Firmin López, managing to direct it between Gazzaniga's legs. Following that, Lewandowski scored his second goal and the team's third from a pass by Frenkie de Jong.

In the final moments, Ferran Torres scored to make it 4-1 from a pass by Gerard Martin, while Yamal's superb shot hit the crossbar. This was the 20th occasion this season that Flick's team scored four or more goals in 45 matches, and they are now on their way toward a potential treble.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar