Barcelona continued their flawless start to the La Liga season on Thursday, securing a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao at the partially-rebuilt Camp Nou. The win keeps the Spanish champions in strong form as they look to build momentum in the early stages of the campaign.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the 37th minute after being played through by Pedri. The Brazilian forward rounded goalkeeper Unai Simon before slotting the ball into the net. Fermin Lopez later sealed the result in the 82nd minute, capitalizing on a defensive error by Aymeric Laporte, who inadvertently nudged a cross from substitute Karim Adeyemi past his own goalkeeper, allowing Lopez to tap into an empty goal.
The match saw the debut of new signing Rodri, who entered the game as a second-half substitute. “Very happy to play my first game, happy with the victory, we’ve got two from two,” Rodri told DAZN after the match. “It’s important to keep building up rhythm and adapting to this great team. My first minutes and (I had some) good feelings.”
Manager Hansi Flick made three adjustments to the starting lineup that defeated Elche 5-0 last week. Anthony Gordon made his first start for the club, while Pedri Gonzalez returned to the midfield and Pau Cubarsi was selected for the defensive line. Raphinha continued to operate as a makeshift number nine, a role he has occupied following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. The club has reportedly attempted to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, though the capital side has declined to negotiate.
Barcelona dominated much of the play, though they were frustrated by the woodwork on two occasions. Raphinha struck the post with a header from a Xavi Espart cross in the first half, and Lamine Yamal later hit the crossbar with a strike from the edge of the box. Despite the missed chances, the team maintained control, with Simon forced into several saves, including a pair of stops against Lopez.
Athletic Bilbao threatened sporadically, most notably when Oihan Sancet struck the post during a rare attacking venture. Barcelona also saw opportunities go begging, with Simon denying Yamal before the interval and later stopping a point-blank effort from Adeyemi late in the game. Gordon, who narrowly missed a second-half shot, had earlier expressed frustration that Yamal did not square the ball to him for an open goal.
Following the match, Rodri offered praise for the performance of the teenage winger Yamal, who showed improvement after a difficult outing against Elche. “Maybe Lamine came from a moment where he was a bit down and today we tried to help him get back up and saw his best version, even though he didn’t score,” Rodri noted. “The goals will come because the talent is there.” The report also notes that and Lopez netted after 82 minutes to secure the points, with the Catalans missing several chances for more goals and twice hitting the woodwork, raphinha rounded the goalkeeper and slid home in the 37th minute to give Barca the lead. The report also notes that leaving 10 Spaniards and Gordon on the pitch for Barca, flick sent on former Manchester City midfielder Rodri for his debut in midfield. The report also notes that and Rodri said that the forward is improving, yamal’s second half performance was an improvement on a disappointing opening 45 minutes and his struggles against Elche.
