Lewandowski leads Barcelona

MADRID, Aug 29 (AP): With a defender moving in front of him and blocking his view inside the area, Robert Lewandowski stayed calm.
The veteran striker patiently waited for a gap, then quickly used his backheel to gently send the ball into the far corner for a beautiful goal.
Lewandowski continues to make scoring look easy after joining Barcelona from Bayern Munich. Barcelona's top signing this season found the net twice on Sunday to lead the Catalan club to a 4-0 rout of Valladolid in the Spanish league.
Real Madrid relied on Karim Benzema, its trustworthy striker for years, to maintain a perfect start with its third straight away victory. Benzema scored in the 88th minute and deep into stoppage time to give the defending champion a 3-1 win at Espanyol.
It was the third league goal for Benzema, while Lewandowski took his tally to four. The Poland striker had also scored a double in the 4-1 victory at Real Sociedad last weekend. He was also twice denied by the woodwork at the Camp Nou on Sunday.
"He is extraordinary," Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said of Lewandowski. "He is a natural leader who has been helping us greatly."
Pedri Gonzalez and Sergi Roberto also scored for Barcelona, which had opened with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano at home.
The 34-year-old Lewandowski, signed from Bayern for nearly $50 million, got on the board in the 24th by completing a nice pass by Raphinha, another one of Barcelona new signings who has been playing well.
Pedri added to the lead in the 43rd from near the penalty spot after an assist by Ousmane Dembele, who also set up Lewandowski's superb backheel goal in the 64th. Roberto closed the scoring in stoppage time.
"We knew what kind of player we had signed," newly signed Barcelona defender Jules Kounde said of Lewandowski. "He is a top striker and he shows it with his goals and with how he helps the team."
Barcelona finally could count on Kounde, who had not been registered ahead of the first two rounds because the club wasn't able to abide with the league's fair play regulations.