Barcelona end La Liga season with defeat to Valencia

KATHMANDU: La Liga champions FC Barcelona ended their season on a disappointing note after suffering a 3-1 defeat against Valencia CF at Mestalla Stadium.

Despite a goal from Robert Lewandowski in what was his final match of the campaign, Barcelona failed to avoid defeat.

Goals from Javi Guerra, Luis Rioja and Guido Rodríguez secured victory for Valencia.

However, the win was not enough for the hosts to qualify for European competition next season.

Valencia created several chances in the first half, with Diego Lopez firing narrowly wide and Hugo Duro heading over the crossbar. Lewandowski also came close for Barcelona, but his header from a corner struck the post.

The Polish striker finally found the net in the 61st minute, brilliantly redirecting Ferran Torres’ volley past goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.

Valencia responded quickly after the opener. In the 66th minute, Javi Guerra punished Barcelona after a loose ball from Javi Esparza, unleashing a powerful long-range strike to equalize.

The home side took the lead five minutes later when Guerra’s initial effort was blocked, but Luis Rioja reacted quickest to the rebound, dribbling past two defenders before scoring.

Barcelona pushed for an equalizer late in the match, but Andreas Christensen’s effort from a corner was denied by a superb save from Dimitrievski. Deep into injury time, Guido Rodríguez sealed Valencia’s victory with a stunning long-range goal.

The win allowed Valencia to finish the season unbeaten in their final four matches while also ending an 11-game winless streak against Barcelona.

Despite the defeat, Lewandowski achieved a personal milestone by scoring his 10th La Liga goal against Valencia. The striker has now netted 10 goals in just seven league appearances against the club.