Barcelona stars Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski etched their respective names into the history books of the Blaugrana late on Sunday.
Xavi Hernandez’s troops, of course, are currently locked in action.
In the knowledge that an eventual victory will see them secure the La Liga title, the Catalans have made the trip to the RCDE Stadium, for a derby showdown with Espanyol.
And, as things stand, wrestling back Spanish football supremacy from arch rivals Real Madrid is precisely what Barca are headed towards.
This comes owing to an explosive first-half display, which saw the evening’s visitors surge into a three-goal advantage.
Robert Lewandowski proved the star of the show, notching a brace either side of full-back Alejandro Balde’s first in the club’s colours.
First, Balde became the youngest Blaugrana player to both score and assist in a La Liga meeting with Espanyol in the 21st century:
1 – Alejandro Balde has both scored and assisted in the same game for Barcelona for the first time in all competitions (48 games), becoming the youngest player to score and assist in a derby against Espanyol in LaLiga in the 21st century (19 years and 208 days). Dagger. pic.twitter.com/VqLYpoq6mK
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 14, 2023
Lewandowski, meanwhile, established himself as the first Barcelona star since Patrick Kluivert to score two goals in the first-half of a La Liga visit to Espanyol since all the way back in 2003.
2 – Robert Lewandowski 🇵🇱 is the first Barcelona player to score two goals in a first half of a LaLiga away game against Espanyol since Patrick Kluivert 🇳🇱 in December 2003. Impact. pic.twitter.com/USLn2WyEFX
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 14, 2023
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