Tag: Barcelona

Raphinha netted twice as Barcelona strolled into the Spanish Super Cup final with a dominant 5-0 semi-final win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia.

The holders and record 15-time champions will face either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, who meet Thursday, in Sunday’s final.

Hansi Flick began with teenage star Lamine Yamal on the bench, but his team was still able to ease to a comfortable victory at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah.

The La Liga leaders have now won nine matches in a row across all competitions, and Athletic, enduring a difficult season, were ripped to shreds.

Last season, Barcelona went on to win La Liga and the Copa del Rey after Flick’s side won the Spanish Super Cup for the first trophy of the German’s reign, and the coach had said he wanted to use the competition as a springboard for more success again.

“It’s us who make games easy or hard — when we’re playing well, doing things right, defending well, attacking well, the game is easier,” Raphinha told Movistar.

The forward has been in fine form since returning from a hamstring injury that kept him out for around two months.

“I am always looking to be at my best level, and I will never say I’m at my best,” continued Raphinha.

“I will keep looking, keep trying to have a season that, if not perfect, is almost perfect, always looking for the best for the team.”

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Ferran Torres bundled home the opener after 22 minutes with a stroke of fortune after Fermin Lopez’s bungled shot fell kindly for him.

Barca sliced Athletic open with a more attractive second goal, with Raphinha cutting the ball back for Lopez to blast into the top corner, for the first of three goals in eight minutes.

Swedish winger Roony Bardghji got the third after being given a helping hand by Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon, who somehow mishandled the low shot under his own body and into the net.

It offered Spain coach Luis de la Fuente food for thought, given Simon is his number one and Barca stopper Joan Garcia is knocking at the door ahead of the World Cup, although the Euro 2024 winning manager was absent with the flu.

Raphinha lashed into the top left corner for Barcelona’s fourth after 38 minutes as the Catalans attacked relentlessly.

Oihan Sancet struck the post at the other end with Athletic’s best chance on a miserable night for the Basque side, who last won the competition in 2021.

Brazil international Raphinha grabbed his second soon after the break with a lethal finish from close range to seal Barca’s win.

“We have to say sorry to the fans who came here, we were not up to the level today, there’s nothing else we can do than say sorry,” said Athletic captain Inaki Williams.

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Jules Kounde bagged two headers to help Barcelona beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on Tuesday in the Champions League and bolster the club’s chances of a top-eight league phase finish.

Ansgar Knauff sent the visitors into a surprise lead, but French defender Kounde’s brace early in the second half put last season’s semi-finalists in control.

In the club’s first Champions League match back at Camp Nou since 2022, they gained revenge against a Frankfurt side who humiliated them in the Europa League in that same year.

The Bundesliga team packed the Camp Nou with their own fans and knocked Barca out of that competition at one of their lowest ebbs under Xavi Hernandez.

With a domestic treble and a run to the final four of the Champions League, Xavi’s successor, Hansi Flick, has changed the mood around Barca, but this season the team have struggled at times.

Defeats by Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain left Barca in a difficult position in Europe, but by beating Frankfurt, they are still hopeful of avoiding the play-off round.

“I wasn’t surprised (it was hard), the Champions League is different… I am very proud,” Flick told reporters.

The coach said making the comeback “shows a lot about our attitude”, but accepted it would be “a better situation” to take the lead in games.

Barcelona made tickets harder for Frankfurt fans to obtain this time around by delaying their sale, and beyond a small number of visiting supporters who appeared to be ejected from home areas, there was little trouble.

Barcelona controlled the opening period, pinning the visitors, who lost 6-0 against RB Leipzig on Saturday in the Bundesliga, back in their own territory.

Veteran striker Robert Lewandowski put the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for an offside earlier in the move.

Despite their dominant start, the Catalans fell behind after 21 minutes, caught out by a rapid Frankfurt counter-attack.

Lamine Yamal dribbled into trouble, and Nathaniel Brown surged forward from the back before dropping a ball in behind Barca’s high defensive line for Knauff to charge on to.

Gerard Martin tried and failed to intercept it with a flick of the leg, and the German striker held off Alejandro Balde before finishing neatly.

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Frankfurt defenders scrambled to block a Fermin Lopez effort, as Barca struggled to create clear openings.

Teenage star Yamal could not find a way past Brown in one of his more erratic outings for Barca.

Ellyes Skhiri slammed a shot just over the bar as Frankfurt missed a good chance to extend their lead before half-time, and it came to cost them.

Barcelona came out all guns blazing in the second half and were helped by the introduction of on-loan Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford.

The England international teed up Raphinha, who blazed over, before whipping in a cross for Kounde to head home in the 50th minute.

“It was important Marcus was on the pitch, he gave us the width,” explained Flick.

Kounde, who has particularly struggled this season, was Barcelona’s hero against Frankfurt as he grabbed his second of the night three minutes later.

Yamal slung in a high, looping cross, which Kounde nodded back across the goal, and it dropped in at the far post.

“Kounde is a guy who works a lot; he deserves these goals,” said Pedri.

“I think he wasn’t trying to score with the second goal, but I’ll ask him.”

Kounde admitted he was a bit surprised when the ball made it into the net.

“I tried to put it back into that zone (at the far post),” he said. “So I was surprised, sometimes you need to have a bit of luck.”

Unable to procure a third goal to kill off the game, Barcelona had to sweat through the final stages, but Frankfurt did not come close to finding an equaliser.

The win left Barcelona 14th in the table, two points behind Liverpool in eighth, while Frankfurt are down in 30th.

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Barcelona coach Hansi Flick claimed Monday his team’s defending is now on “another level” after a run of good results.

The Catalans have won three matches in a row after a 3-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Champions League near the end of November.

Barca face Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday in Europe as they fight for a top-eight finish in the league phase.

With several players back from injury last week, Barca beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 and Real Betis 5-3.

“Everyone knows what happened in the last three months, a lot of injuries, very important players out, the last weeks we have to manage the minutes, the load of every player,” Flick told a news conference.

The coach said although his team shipped three against Betis, the use of his high defensive line system was good and the players were tired in the final stages, when two of those goals were scored.

“The last 10 minutes, they were exhausted,” reasoned Flick, whose side also let in three at Club Brugge in a 3-3 draw earlier in November.

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“I said this morning to them, the (back) line is doing really good, we’re getting pressure on the ball, we are connected. This is what we need.

“And the (high) line, they play it on another level than maybe one month, five weeks ago.”

The win over Betis left Barca four points clear at the top of La Liga, with attention turning to the clash against Frankfurt.

In 2022, Barcelona suffered a humiliating Europa League elimination at the hands of the German side, whose fans filled the stands at Camp Nou.

Barcelona restricted access to tickets as a result this year, anxious to avoid similar scenes at their reopened stadium.

That defeat was arguably the club’s lowest ebb, but in the years since, they have risen sharply, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.

The Frankfurt match will be the club’s first game in the competition at Camp Nou since October 2022.

“For everyone it was a dream to come back and play in Camp Nou,” said Flick.

“It’s also important for the Champions League. It’s a really important match for us tomorrow.

“We have to win, we want to win three points. We want to show our best level.”

The coach said goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen may return to the squad after injury, but made clear Joan Garcia “is number one”.

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Barcelona produced an impressive comeback to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday and move four points clear at the top of La Liga.

Alex Baena fired Atletico ahead, but Raphinha equalised for the champions before Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres slotted home to end the visitors’ run of 13 straight league games without defeat.

Barca might have been more comfortable had Robert Lewandowski not ballooned a first-half penalty over the bar at the partially rebuilt Camp Nou.

Real Madrid, second, visit Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, aiming to peg Barcelona back, while Diego Simeone’s Atletico are fourth, six points behind the Catalans.

This was Barca’s fifth consecutive Liga win after losing the Clasico against Madrid in October, but they have not shone consistently in that period, and coming against a title rival, this display gave Flick’s side a welcome boost.

Barcelona were without defender Ronald Araujo, who is taking a mental health break according to Spanish reports, along with ill midfielder Frenkie de Jong and the longer-term absentees.

After a 3-0 thrashing at Chelsea last week in the Champions League, followed by a shaky win over Alaves to claim pole position in La Liga, nerves were jangling at Camp Nou.

Following a tense start, Atletico took the lead with, predictably, a ball in behind Barcelona’s persistently high defensive line.

Baena scampered through on goal and beat Joan Garcia, barely celebrating because he could sense the linesman’s raised flag behind him.

However, a VAR review showed the Spaniard was level with Pau Cubarsi when he broke, and the goal was reinstated.

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Barcelona responded rapidly and levelled in the 26th minute when Pedri, back fit to start, played in Raphinha.

The Brazilian winger, another player recently back from injury, took the ball around Jan Oblak and slid it into the empty net.

Barcelona should have taken the lead, but Lewandowski spurned a penalty, blazing high and wide of Oblak’s goal after Pablo Barrios brought down Dani Olmo.

The Polish veteran almost made amends moments later, but Oblak brilliantly clawed out his header from Lamine Yamal’s cross.

Raphinha pulled an effort wide early in the second half when he should have hit the target, and Giuliano Simeone could not get a clean shot away with the goal beckoning at the other end.

Olmo, who netted twice against Alaves on Saturday, sent Barcelona ahead with a slick finish after Lewandowski managed to bundle the ball into his path.

Olmo, a playmaker who has struggled for consistency at Barca amid various physical problems, sustained a shoulder injury falling as he shot and was replaced by Marcus Rashford.

Pedri, who was controlling the game for Barca, also went down hurt after 70 minutes, and Flick replaced him, with fans left hoping it was only a scare ahead of next week’s important Champions League match against Frankfurt.

Atletico substitute Thiago Almada had his team’s best chance of equalising, but after bursting across the penalty area, he lost balance and screwed his finish wide as Joan Garcia scrambled.

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Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said he was relieved to have some injured players returning to fitness ahead of Tuesday’s crunch clash against Atletico Madrid.

Barca moved to the top of La Liga with Saturday’s 3-1 defeat of Alaves, although Atletico in the fourth, are only three points back.

Pedri made his first team return as a second-half substitute on Saturday after more than a month out with a hamstring problem.

He is in line to start against Diego Simeone’s rugged outfit, as is midfield partner Frenkie de Jong, who missed the Alaves match for family reasons.

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“I’m really happy. The players are coming back, maybe we can increase our level. This is the most important thing,” Flick said on Monday, although he confirmed that Uruguayan centre-back Ronald Araujo is out.

The German has come under fire this seen for a series of abject displays, not least in the Catalans’ highest profile matches — a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea and 2-1 reverses against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite being top of the table, Flick admitted that Barca needs to improve.

“I know we are not (in) top (form) like last season,” he said. “But we have potential. And we have to increase our level.”

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Estevao scored a breathtaking solo Champions League goal to win the battle of the teenage prodigies against Lamine Yamal on Tuesday as Chelsea humbled 10-man Barcelona 3-0.

The two 18-year-olds were the focus of attention in the build-up to the game at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca urging his player to ignore the comparisons.

Estevao’s moment of magic came 10 minutes after half-time, when he received the ball on the right, beat two defenders, and lashed it into the roof of Joan Garcia’s net.

It was the 10th goal of the season for club and country for the winger, just months into his first campaign at Chelsea.

The Brazilian said it was the best moment of his career so far, in front of his watching family.

“I don’t really have any words to sum up how I’m feeling right now,” he told Amazon Prime. “It really was the perfect night. I’m just grateful to God for everything that has happened to me. Onwards and upwards from here.”

Speaking about his spectacular goal, he said: “It all happened very quickly for me, it sort of happened before I knew it.

“I just found some space, wiggled my way through and then scored that goal. It was such a special moment for me in my career. I hope to score many more.”

Estevao’s goal gave Barcelona, already trailing 1-0 and down to 10 men, a mountain to climb and substitute Liam Delap put the game to bed in the 73rd minute, sidefooting home from close range.

The lopsided scoreline was just reward for two-time European champions Chelsea, who were superior from the first whistle against a pallid Barcelona team.

The game had started at a frantic pace.

Enzo Fernandez bundled the ball into the net in the fourth minute, only for the goal to be ruled out due to a handball by Wesley Fofana.

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Two minutes later, Ferran Torres seemed certain to score at the other end when clean through with only Robert Sanchez to beat, but he skewed wide.

The game then drifted before Chelsea again upped the tempo.

Fernandez again had the ball in the net, but this time it was disallowed for an offside and moments later Pedro Neto blazed over the bar.

But the home side’s pressure finally paid off in the 27th minute following a short-corner routine.

The ball was eventually whipped into the box, and Barcelona tied themselves in knots, Jules Kounde poking the ball into his own net.

The game took a decisive turn moments before half-time when Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo received a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Marc Cucurella.

Chelsea maintained their intensity in the second half and were richly rewarded with the goals from Estevao and Delap, while five-time Champions League winners Barcelona offered little.

The Stamford Bridge fans taunted the ineffective Yamal after Estevao scored and jeered when he was substituted late in the game.

Maresca’s men, back in the Champions League after two years away, have now won three of their first five games to give themselves a fighting chance of finishing in the top eight.

That would mean automatic qualification for the last 16.

The club are also picking up momentum in the Premier League, sitting second in the table ahead of Sunday’s home match against leaders Arsenal.

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Finally reopening Camp Nou is cause to celebrate for Barcelona, but coach Hansi Flick will only be happy if they inaugurate their rebuilt stadium by kick-starting their La Liga title defence on Saturday.

The Catalan giants host Athletic Bilbao while trailing Real Madrid by three points after an inconsistent start to the campaign, below the level they were at as they claimed a domestic treble last season.

With three international breaks disrupting the opening months, now Flick has the chance to knuckle down and find solutions to Barca’s problems.

They have shipped 15 goals, more than nine of the 10 teams beneath them, while the attack has also struggled to ignite in the way it did in Flick’s debut year.

Returning to their home is one of several reasons for Barca to believe the coming weeks will be positive.

They last played at Camp Nou in May 2023, with the stadium shut for two-and-a-half years.

Barca had hoped to reopen it in November 2024, but construction problems and other setbacks led to its delay, with the team playing in exile at the Olympic stadium.

“(Playing there) will definitely help us… for the club’s future, it’s very important, I congratulate everyone who has worked on it,” said Flick.

In Barcelona’s prior outing, they beat Celta Vigo 4-2 in Galicia, with a wild first half giving way to a far more controlled second, which might indicate the direction his team need to take.

“The second half gives us confidence for the next matches, and this is what we need,” said the coach.

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Flick hopes that confidence is what the team needs to be able to execute their high-line defence to perfection, as they did for a long period last term.

“I always think to say something about the experts, former players, former coaches, but I will not do it, (it makes) too much noise for us,” said Flick, showing he has heard the criticism regularly aimed at him over Barca’s defensive woes.

The club have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of the nine games they have played across all competitions since goalkeeper Joan Garcia was injured.

The stopper is poised to return against Athletic to help end that run.

Striker Robert Lewandowski netted a hat-trick against Celta, and following a troubled start to the campaign because of injury, his presence is a big boost.

The veteran has a nose for goal, which his stand-in Ferran Torres cannot replicate, as well as offering good build-up connections for Barca’s wingers.

Teen starlet Lamine Yamal is a doubt after he missed Spain’s World Cup qualifiers following treatment on a long-running groin issue, while Raphinha is close to a return on the other flank.

Although Marcus Rashford has impressed during his loan from Manchester United, the Brazilian’s intensity and work rate have been missed in recent weeks.

One problem for Flick against Athletic is Frenkie de Jong’s suspension while Pedri is out injured, denying the coach his first-choice pair of central midfielders. Marc Casado and Dani Olmo are likely to step in.

Whoever Flick selects will become part of the stadium’s new history, 68 years after the previous iteration was opened in 1957.

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UEFA has given Barcelona the go-ahead to play Champions League matches at their partially rebuilt Camp Nou stadium, the La Liga giants said on Wednesday.

The news comes just a couple of days after Barcelona announced their long-awaited return to league action at the stadium, which had been beset by construction chaos, after more than two years in exile.

The Spanish champions will host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Camp Nou on December 9, just over two weeks after reinaugurating the stadium against Athletic Bilbao in domestic action on November 22.

Barcelona said in a statement that “UEFA accepted the request, considering that all the necessary requirements have been met.”

The Camp Nou return will end a messy saga in which Barcelona repeatedly had to postpone their announced reopening of the stadium as construction delays and a failure to secure safety licences curtailed their plans.

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The Catalans were humiliatingly forced to play two matches at their 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff training ground stadium in the first weeks of the season after failing to get the permit they needed for Camp Nou, because of safety reasons.

They have since then been playing in the 55,000-seater Olympic stadium on Montjuic hill.

Barcelona will open the Camp Nou against Bilbao with a temporary capacity of 45,401 spectators, with space for 105,000 when the top tier is eventually completed.

They opened the stadium up for 23,000 fans to watch a training session earlier in November as a test event in the reopening process.

The delay in the work represents a huge financial loss for the club, which needs the revenue generated by its stadium to regain stability.

Financially troubled Barcelona are estimated to be spending 1.5 billion euros ($1.74bn) on the rebuild.

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Barcelona will finally return to their reconstructed Camp Nou stadium against Athletic Bilbao on November 22 in La Liga, the club said Monday, after more than two years in exile.

Since the stadium closed at the end of the 2022/23 season, the Catalan giants have been forced to play elsewhere, mainly at the Olympic Stadium on the city’s Montjuic hill.

A series of delays means Camp Nou is reopening a year after it was originally slated to, following a 1.5 billion euro ($1.75 billion) transformation beset by construction chaos.

Barcelona will open the stadium with a temporary capacity of 45,401 spectators, with space for 105,000 when the top tier is completed.

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They opened the stadium up for 23,000 fans to watch a training session earlier in November as a test event in the reopening process.

Barcelona are also hoping to receive the green light from UEFA to host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Camp Nou in the Champions League on December 9.

The Spanish champions were forced to play two matches at their 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff training ground stadium in the first weeks of the season after failing to get the permit they needed for Camp Nou, due to safety reasons.

The previous iteration of Camp Nou was built in 1957 and had a capacity of 99,000.

Barcelona plan to add a roof to the stadium, which will be installed in the summer of 2027, a year later than the project was anticipated to be completed.

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Barcelona all-time great Lionel Messi returning to the Catalan giants is “unrealistic”, the club’s president Joan Laporta said Wednesday.

The 38-year-old Argentine superstar made a surprise appearance at Barca’s Camp Nou stadium on Sunday night and said he hoped “one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do”.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, Barca’s record goalscorer and appearance maker, left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 after two decades there because their precarious financial position meant they could not afford to keep him.

“Out of the utmost respect for Messi, the professionals at the club, Barca, and the Barca club members, I believe that now, for me to make speculation that is unrealistic, nor do I think it is fair, well, I believe that is not appropriate,” Laporta told Catalunya Radio.

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The president, who was in charge at the time of Messi’s departure, said he did not regret what happened because “Barca is above everything”.

Laporta confirmed he would love to hold a match in homage to Messi’s career at the rebuilt Camp Nou, once it is fully open.

“Things didn’t end the way we would have liked… if, in some way, this tribute can make up for what wasn’t done, I think it would be a good thing,” explained Laporta.

“It would be right that he has the best tribute (match) in the world, and it would be wonderful to have it here, in front of 105,000 fans,” he continued.

The president said Inter Miami forward Messi’s surprise visit to the stadium on Sunday was a “spontaneous” display of his love of the club.

Messi is currently in Spain with the Argentina national team, where they are training before a friendly against Angola.

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