Barcelona swept aside their guest Athletic Bilbao with four goals to nil in the match that brought them together on Saturday evening, as part of the thirteenth round of the Spanish League, on the ground of the “Spotify Camp Nou” stadium, which hosted the Catalan team again after an absence of nearly two years due to renovation work.
Barcelona’s goals in this match were scored by: Robert Lewandowski in the (4th) minute, Ferran Torres “two goals” in the (45th and 90th) minutes, and Fermín López (48th).
With this victory, Barcelona rose to the top of the Spanish League standings with 31 points, temporarily, ahead of Real Madrid by goal difference, who have the same number of points, knowing that the royal team will play its match tomorrow against Elche.
In contrast, Athletic Bilbao’s score froze at 17 points, to occupy eighth place in the standings.
Team Lineups
Hans Flick, Barcelona coach, announced on Saturday evening the starting lineup with which his team will play the Athletic Bilbao match at the “Camp Nou” stadium, as part of the thirteenth round of the Spanish League.
This announcement came amid great anticipation from the fans, due to the absences and injuries that have affected the German coach’s options in the recent period.
The lineup witnessed the return of goalkeeper Juan García to guarding the Catalan team’s goal after an absence of two months due to a muscle injury that kept him out of participation since the start of the season.
His return is considered an important morale boost for the technical staff, especially in light of the team’s need for defensive stability before embarking on a series of important matches in the coming weeks.
Despite the absence of Pedri due to injury and Frenkie de Jong due to suspension, Flick surprised many by keeping Casadó on the bench, which raised many questions given the coach’s reliance on him in previous matches. Flick later explained that the readiness of some players and other technical considerations prompted him to make this decision.
Barcelona’s formation was as follows:
Juan García, Gerard Martín, Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Alejandro Baldé, Eric García, Dani Olmo, Fermín López, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Robert Lewandowski.
In return, Ernesto Valverde, the coach of Athletic Bilbao, announced his team’s lineup, which included:
Unai Simón, Andoni Gorosabel, Vivian, Aymeric Laporte, Yuri Berchiche, De Galarreta, Jauregizar, Unai Gómez, Nico Williams, Oier Zarraga, and Álex Berenguer.
Match Events
Barcelona entered their match against Athletic Bilbao with a clear attacking desire, and the Catalan team only needed a few minutes to announce their lead.
From the first minute, the home side pressed hard, and Robert Lewandowski reached the operations area without being able to translate the first attempt.
In the fourth minute, Barcelona exploited a mistake in the ball’s exit from Athletic’s defense, so Eric García and Gerard Martín snatched the ball in a dangerous area, to reach Lewandowski, who launched a powerful shot that goalkeeper Unai Simón was unable to stop, announcing the first goal and raising his score to four goals in the last two matches.
Yamal tried his luck with a light shot that did not pose any danger to the Basque defense.
The fans did not hesitate to chant “Messi, Messi” in the tenth minute, coinciding with the Argentine star’s historic number on the night of his return to “Camp Nou”.
Ferran Torres almost scored the second goal in the 19th minute, were it not for the brilliance of Unai Simón, before Dani Olmo fired a ball that went over the goal.
In the 23rd minute, Ferran Torres scored the second goal after a wonderful pass between the lines from Fermín, but the referee canceled the goal for offside.
As the 30th minute approached, Barcelona’s pace slowed down a bit, which gave Athletic more spaces, so Nico Williams came close on more than one occasion, and wasted a dangerous opportunity after a cross from Yuri, as Unai Gómez fired a powerful shot that goalkeeper Juan García brilliantly saved.
The last minutes of the first half witnessed a noticeable increase in the level of danger from the guests, while Barcelona seemed less comfortable in dealing with the ball.
With the entry of stoppage time, Barcelona struck hard, as Lamine Yamal led a counter-attack with a wonderful technical touch; a magical pass put Ferran Torres in front of the goal, where Ferran fired a ball that touched the hand of goalkeeper Unai Simón before slowly settling in the net, adding the second goal in the 45+2 minute amid great joy from the Catalan team’s fans.
With the start of the second half, Barcelona did not wait long to add the third goal, as in the 48th minute, Fermín López scored a beautiful goal in his 100th match with the team.
The goal began with a successful recovery of the ball from Eric García, followed by a series of quick passes with Ferran Torres, before García passed a decisive ball that put Fermín in front of Unai Simón to score with confidence and focus.
The most exciting moment came in the 51st minute after a violent tackle by Sancet on Fermín.
The referee initially showed a yellow card, but the intervention of video technology “VAR” forced him to review the scene, to return with a decisive decision, and show the red card directly.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Basque team tried to create some danger, but the Catalan team was more in control of the ball and opportunities.
Barcelona continued their attacking pressure, and in the 61st minute, Lamine Yamal provided another magical pass that put Dani Olmo in an excellent position, but his shot was blocked by a defender.
The following minutes witnessed the continuation of the Catalan pressure. Olmo almost scored the fourth goal with a dangerous shot in the 65th minute, but it went out for a corner.
Then came the most dangerous moments of the half in the 66th minute when Simón saved a first attempt from Ferran Torres, before his second follow-up hit the crossbar, but the referee canceled the attack for offside.
As the 71st minute approached, video technology “VAR” intervened again to review a handball inside the guests’ penalty area, but the decision came that there was no penalty kick.
Raphinha, returning from injury, participated as a substitute amid warm applause from the fans, and ignited the stands with a powerful shot from outside the area in the 82nd minute, which passed next to the post.
Despite the shy attempts from Bilbao, most notably a dangerous header in the 79th minute, Juan García brilliantly saved it.
Ferran Torres added the fourth goal for the Catalan team in the 90th minute, after a magical pass from Lamine Yamal, but the assistant referee indicated an offside, before the video technology “VAR” approved the goal in favor of Barcelona, who ended the match with a big win by four goals to nil, which temporarily returned them to the top of the Spanish League standings.
