La Liga.Is.BACK.
Barca is back on the La Liga campaign, as they take on league mainstays Valencia away from home at the historic Mestalla.
Barca was without a fair bit of the regulars, either due to injury or registration issues, so Hansi Flick had to rely on the depth that was present.
This set the Blaugrana up for an interesting opening matchday, so let’s see how they panned out.
First half
The first half was a little bit odd.
Barca controlled the opening stages, but lost control later on as Valencia worked their way into the game.
But although Barca lost their grip on the match, they didn’t lose it for long. There wasn’t much action to go along with Barca’s control, but they weren’t losing their selves in the raucous environment, so that’s at least a positive.
The positivity lasted until around halftime though, when Barca conceded a goal after some poor defending from Barca.
On the brink of halftime, it appeared Barca would have to claw back into the game, full of youngsters, while ramming a hectic crowd head on.
Luckily though, Barca scored a goal on the brink of halftime courtesy of one Robert Lewandowski, after a brilliant assist from Lamine Yamal.
Peep the cross from Balde though.
Soon halftime arrived and Barca was in a better spot than they were right after the Hugo Duro goal.
They needed some more tenacity in front of goal if they wanted to secure 3 points though.
Let’s see how Barca fared.
Second half
4 minutes into the second half, Barca found another goal.
After Raphinha won a penalty, it was up to Lewandowski to put the ball in the back of the net and give Barca a 2-1 lead.
Contrary to all worries though, he did just that.
Barca eventually controlled the rest of the match with stellar efficiency. They did eventually find some more chances, but couldn’t convert on those.
Per usual though.
Barca did end up with a 2-1 win though, 3 big points to begin the year despite the whirlwind surrounding the club.
Final word
Not much to say on this one.
Barca found some clutch performances from the likes of Marc Bernal and Marc Casado. Everyone else did their job and were able to respond well away from home.
Well, maybe everyone aside from Ferran Torres and Iñigo Martinez.
Good win to start the campaign though.
Barca’s next match
Barca’s next match is against Athletic Club next weekend.
See you all then!
I’ve been a big time Barca fan since I was 14 years old. I love the club, the history, and the tradition that the club has built over its prestigious history. Forca Barca!
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