Robert Lewandowski kept FC Barcelona on track after the Champions League exit, at least in the league.
The former Bayern striker scored for the Catalans in the third minute of added time on Saturday to make it 1-0 (0-0) at FC Valencia. For at least one night, Barcelona moved to the top of the table ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid. The Champions League winners play against FC Girona on Sunday.
However, the theme of the game was the fear of potential World Cup stars. Three weeks before the start of the finals in Qatar (from November 20), Jules Koundé (Barcelona/France) and Edinson Cavani (Valencia/Uruguay) had to be replaced injured.
Koundé retired with a hamstring injury, Cavani had been on the pitch for several minutes before grabbing his right ankle and limping off the field.
The 133-time international (58 goals) had already missed the international matches against Iran (0:1) and Canada (0:2) at the end of September due to injury.
Most recently, he had scored four goals in three games for Valencia. In the French defense, Koundé is considered a safe World Cup driver. Eric Garcia, 18-time Spanish international and thus a potential German World Cup opponent, was also substituted due to a groin injury.
Exact diagnoses for all three players were initially pending.