Lewandowski's last dance ends with a slap in the face in Valencia

BarcelonaFlick's Barça is going on vacation. With a very high note and a grim face, as this team doesn't want to lose even a game of Parcheesi, they fell at Mestalla to end a magnificent season. Precisely in the stadium where Flick debuted as a coach in a league match two years ago, they had to lose in a game that also didn't have much history, in terms of Barça. Many players are already thinking more about the World Cup, which in a few weeks will arrive like an informational avalanche in our lives. If you've already won the league and there's not much at stake, you can't blame the international footballers, especially after seeing that one of theirs, Fermín López, won't be able to go to the United States due to an injury in the last match. The last game became the last chance to have a final photograph of Lewandowski in a blaugrana jersey. Scoring a goal, of course.

Valencia had something to play for. They had a remote possibility of qualifying for European competitions, after another mediocre season. In fact, when the Barça expedition arrived at Mestalla, they encountered a commotion, as many local fans were trying to show, in a not-so-peaceful way, that they are fed up with Peter Lim's management. If the Valencians entered the field nervous, the Barça players did so calmly. Half the team, in fact, 24 hours earlier was dancing at Bad Bunny's concert. Lewandowski, who played his last match in a blaugrana jersey, moved inside the area with the same joy as he had done in the dressing room at the concert of the Puerto Rican singer. It wasn't the best way to prepare for a match, but when you've already done your homework, everything is forgiven and, in fact, the Pole scored his last goal with Barça by hunting a ball inside the area in the second half, after a good shot from Ferran Torres.

The match was quite fun. And accident-prone. Every now and then a player was bleeding, limping. Valencia attacked leaving many spaces that allowed Barça to connect with their forwards, although they lacked accuracy. In fact, at times the locals saw that Getafe was not winning, so they got excited about the possibility of qualifying for Europe. It was not possible, although they tried and gave Szczesny, who always seems calm, plenty of work. Whether playing, training, or going out partying. Flick had rested Raphinha, but the team looked good. It was a mix of starters and substitutes, with Bernal, Olmo, and Gavi in midfield and Araujo, who struggled a bit, playing centre-back with Gerard Martín, who has finished the season at a very high level. It has been one of the best pieces of news of the season: his performance as a centre-back. Araujo felt a discomfort and Xavi Espart substituted him. The La Masia player had a pretty good second half, showing what so many people know: La Masia is always ready.

The match really started to go crazy when Lewandowski scored the first goal. Until then it had already been quite fun, but once the Pole scored his last goal in the opponent's box, the match exploded like a mascletà during the Fallas days. Instead of backing down, Valencia decided to burn all their bridges and in a few minutes they had already turned the score around with goals from Javi Guerra and Luis Rioja. Flick had brought on a Christensen lacking rhythm and an apathetic De Jong. And with them, the team broke down too much in defence, which allowed Valencia to close the season with a victory that would not help them reach the Conference League. All of Barça's attacks failed to find the back of the net, while some players said goodbye forever to the blaugrana shirt. Others still don't know what will become of them. It always happens when a season ends, it's time to say goodbye to people who have made history. Also to those who haven't been lucky. It ended the season with a defeat, as Valencia ended up scoring a third in the last play of the match, punishing a Barça that showed all its pride until the end. But it wasn't their day. In fact, it was the women's team's day. There are always joys at Barça.