Joan Garcia’s goalkeeping masterclass inspires Barcelona to hard-fought win vs Espanyol

Barcelona produced a hard-fought 2-0 win against Espanyol, thanks to late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski.

However, it was Joan Garcia who made the big difference again with his outstanding goalkeeping to defy his former club’s rampant attack.

Barca looked vulnerable in defensive transitions, and Espanyol tried to exploit it on many occasions, but Garcia stood as a rock. 

The Spanish keeper palmed away Roberto Fernandez’s Shot before making a point-blank range save against Carlos Romero’s bullet header.

The hosts kept the La Liga leaders on the back foot again in the second half, with Fernandez having a great 1v1 chance to round Garcia, but the Blaugrana No.1 produced a brave effort to palm away the ball.

Romero tried to curl into the bottom right corner with his right foot, but a watchful Garcia denied the effort.

A draw appeared to be on the cards before Olmo produced a magical goal off Fermin Lopez’s assist in the dying minutes to break the deadlock for the visitors.

Lopez soon set up Lewandowski’s relatively easy goal with a tremendous run to seal the Catalan derby and extend the lead to seven points at the top of La Liga.

Barca looked far from their best in their first game after the Christmas break, however Garcia’s heroics saved their blushes.

Hansi Flick’s substitution also paid dividends big time, with Olmo, Lewandowski and Lopez making the key difference.

Garcia was awarded the man of the match in his first visit to Espanyol since his move to Camp Nou last summer.

The 24-year-old was welcomed with a hostile reception, but his sensational performance silenced the entire RCDE Stadium.

He has been pivotal behind the Catalan club’s winning streak this season, producing a string of memorable performances.

Barca will next travel to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup, facing Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals.