Lewandowski brace ensures victorious end to Barcelona's season in Bilbao
May 25 (Reuters) - A rapid pair of goals by Robert Lewandowski early in the first half and a penalty by Dani Olmo deep in added time ensured a comfortable 3-0 victory for Barcelona over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, ending the season on a high note for the LaLiga champions.
With the title clinched more than a week ago, Sunday's match at San Mames stadium had little at stake for either side.
Barcelona ended their LaLiga campaign at the summit with 88 points, four ahead of Real Madrid, with Atletico Madrid third on 76 points. Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal round out the top five, ensuring their places in next season's Champions League.
They are followed by Real Betis and Celta Vigo who will represent Spain in the Europa League while eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano booked a spot in the Conference League.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick opted to rest several regular starters, including his top goalkeepers Wojciech Szczesny and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, giving third-choice keeper Inaki Pena his first start in more than four months.
However, the night belonged to Lewandowski, who put Barcelona ahead in the 14th minute. The Polish striker coolly controlled a pinpoint pass from Fermin Lopez, beating the offside trap before deftly lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Four minutes later, Lewandowski doubled his tally, heading home from a corner after a clearance error by Athletic's midfielder Unai Gomez.
Despite the victory, Lewandowski fell short of matching Kylian Mbappe's 31 goals for the LaLiga season, missing a clear opportunity for a hat-trick shortly after the restart. He finished second in the LaLiga scoring race with 27 goals.
In the 92nd minute, Olmo was fouled inside the box and, with Lewandowski having been substituted three minutes before, it was the Spanish international who stepped up to fire a tidy shot from the spot and wrap up Barcelona's win.
"We knew it was the last game of the season and we had a plan to win it; we played well in the first half, we had everything under control all the way. It's almost the perfect season. Now let's enjoy the moment," Lewandowski told Movistar Plus.
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