Barcelona turn the tide with a win over Brest in the Champions League

Barcelona managed to break their two-game winless streak as Robert Lewandowski made history in the Catalan's side 3-0 win over Brest in the Champions League.

The Polish striker netted his 100th and 101st goal, which couldn't have come at a better time, leading his team to victory.

Having lost to Real Sociedad and blown a two goal lead against Celta Vigo, Barcelona desperately needed a win to turn the tide. In front of them was a Brest team who had been one of the revelations of the tournament.

Barcelona recaptured some of the magic they showed prior to the injury to Lamine Yamal. A Yamal whose standing in the team has become bigger given how much the club has struggled without him since he's been missing.

On this occasion, however, the organized pressing was better, making the highline much more effective.

But it also saw Pedri back at his best with his pass to Lewandowski leading to the first goal as the Brest goalie clattered in to his back resulting in a penalty. Lewandowski converted for his 100th goal, and first on the night.

"I'm very content, very happy, sometimes I didn't believe I would reach this impressive figure in the Champions League," Lewandowski said. "Now I'm in good company with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

If there's any negative from this match it has to be with Barcelona's finishing. They had a number of occasions in the first half to double their lead but failed to take advantage. Fermin Lopez, who got the nod in the starting line-up, missed a few opportunities. Dani Olmo did as well.

But it would be Olmo who gave Barcelona some breathing room in the second half as he danced his way inside the box following a pass from Gerard Martin. Olmo managed to get only feet away from the goalkeeper before putting Barcelona up by two.

"It's really pleasing to return to form and win our third Champions League match in front of our fans," Olmo said. "Today we played with a lot of calmness, but there were occasions when we should have used the ball more vertically."

Alejandro Balde, who missed the Celta Vigo match, made his return and, thanks to the press from Raphinha and Pablo Torre, delivered the assist for Lewandowski's second in the final minutes of stoppage time.

It was the type of win Barcelona needed to regain confidence and against an opponent who were entering the game with a lot of confidence given their results in the competition.

"We came back with a very important win where I'm as happy with the performance as the result," Hansi Flick said. "Pedri produced a fantastic match today. He was important in our control of the game, he's simply outstanding with the ball."

With the win Barcelona now have 12 points which puts them in second place in the standings. Regardless of other results, they'll be sitting in the top four. Going through directly to knockout stage is important as it'll mean two less matches, earning his players some rest as the season rolls through.

Barcelona now turn their attention to the league when they host Las Palmas on Saturday. Expect to see rotation from Flick, particularly in midfield. They are back in action in two weeks time in the Champions League in a highly anticipated away fixture against Borussia Dortmund.