BARCELONA, Spain: Robert Lewandowski came off the bench to help Barcelona win 4-0 at Cádiz in the Spanish league on Saturday as the Poland striker extended his superb scoring run before facing former club Bayern Munich.
The match was halted in the 82nd minute because of a presumed heart attack in the stands. Cadiz ‘keeper Jeremias Ledesma grabbed a defibrillator from the team bench and sprinted across the pitch to throw it to emergency staff in the stands.
The fan was taken away by ambulance.
Lewandowski scored his ninth goal in five games to double Barcelona’s lead after Frenkie de Jong’s 55th-minute opener. He has only failed to score in one game — his debut — since joining Barcelona from Bayern this summer.
Following the halt in play for the ill fan, Lewandowski assisted Ansu Fati before Ousmane Dembélé struck from long range to make it a rout.
A fourth win in a row in the Spanish league lifted Barcelona to the top of the standings, one point ahead of Real Madrid before the defending champions host Mallorca on Sunday.
Coach Xavi Hernández left Lewandowski, Dembélé and Pedri González out of his starting lineup ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Germany in the Champions League. All three came on moments after De Jong’s goal.
Xavi and Cádiz counterpart Sergio González both wished the stricken fan a quick recovery, agreeing that the incident, which silenced the Nuevo Mirandilla Stadium in southern Spain, was a reminder that soccer is just a game.
“Health, once again, is the most important thing,” Xavi said. “We hope that he gets better as soon as possible.”
* With AFP and AP
