Barcelona made a stunning return to their renovated
Camp Nou on Saturday, defeating Athletic Bilbao 4-0 to climb joint top of La
Liga. The victory marked the club’s first home game at the stadium in
two-and-a-half years, delayed by construction setbacks and other logistical
issues.
Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring in the fourth
minute, converting a powerful low strike from Eric Garcia’s pressing play in
midfield. Ferran Torres then netted a brace, with Lamine Yamal providing the
assists for both goals. Fermin Lopez also added a strike in the second half,
completing a comfortable win for Hansi Flick’s side.
Athletic Bilbao suffered a setback when midfielder
Oihan Sancet was sent off after a VAR review in the second half, compounding an
already challenging afternoon. Despite some early pressure from the Basque
side, Barcelona dominated the game, keeping a clean sheet thanks to goalkeeper
Joan Garcia, who returned after missing nine games due to injury.
Camp Nou hosted over 45,000 fans for the occasion,
with fireworks marking the historic homecoming. Fans celebrated Lewandowski’s
early strike and sang Lionel Messi’s name in the 10th minute, honoring the
club’s illustrious past while embracing a new era. Barcelona hopes to gradually
increase stadium capacity to the full 105,000 by next season.
Barcelona’s win sees them level on points with Real
Madrid at the top of the table ahead of Los Blancos’ visit to Elche on Sunday.
Flick’s squad, boosted by the return of injured players and the tactical
contributions of Eric Garcia in midfield, demonstrated clinical finishing and
high pressing, signaling an ambitious start at their long-awaited homecoming.
Torres’ brace, combined with the goals from
Lewandowski and Lopez, ensured a perfect day for Barca fans eager to celebrate
the reopening of the iconic stadium.
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