Barcelona celebrated their first home match of the La Liga campaign with a 2-0 victory over Athletic Club at the Camp Nou. The win keeps the Catalan side level on six points with Real Madrid, Betis, and Sevilla at the top of the table, while Athletic Club remains scoreless after two rounds.
Manager Hansi Flick made three adjustments to the starting lineup that opened the season with a 5-0 win at Elche, handing a full debut to Anthony Gordon and bringing in Pau Cubarsi and Pedri. Barcelona dominated the early exchanges, with Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon forced into a spectacular one-handed save in the 18th minute to deny a curling effort from Lamine Yamal. Shortly after, Raphinha struck the post with a header from a Xavi Espart cross, and Pedri saw an effort disallowed in the 29th minute due to an offside call in the build-up.
The breakthrough arrived in the 37th minute when a precise through ball from Pedri sliced open the Athletic defence, allowing Raphinha to round Simon and slot the ball into an empty net. This marks the third goal in two matches for Raphinha, who continues to operate as a centre forward while the club navigates the transfer window. Simon remained busy before the interval, making a sharp save to deny Lamine, and the visitors survived a brief VAR check following a challenge by the Barcelona forward on Aymeric Laporte.
The second half saw Barcelona maintain their pressure, with Lamine rattling the crossbar from the edge of the area in the 53rd minute. The match also marked a significant milestone for Rodri, the recent signing from Manchester City and World Cup winner, who made his debut for the club after coming off the bench in the 62nd minute.
Athletic Club nearly found an equaliser in the 75th minute when Oihan Sancet’s strike hit the post, but Barcelona ultimately secured the result in the 82nd minute. A defensive error from Laporte, who failed to clear a low cross from Karim Adeyemi, allowed Fermin Lopez to control the loose ball and finish past Simon to seal the 2-0 win. The report also notes that although Athletic goalkeeper Simon kept the visitors in contention with several important saves, barcelona manager Hansi Flick’s side controlled most of the game and created the better chances. The report also notes that newly-signed Rodri started on the bench. The report also notes that heading against the post from a cross by academy left back Xavi Espart, raphinha went close six minutes later. The report also notes that athletic and Real Sociedad remain without a point.
