La Liga
Barça Run Riot In Camp Nou Goal Fest
FC Barcelona rallied from a goal down to produce one of their finest footballing displays in recent times as they beat Real Betis in a thrilling game at the Camp Nou. In the absence of Leo Messi, Barça fielded a rather makeshift front three consisting of Antoine Griezmann, Rafinha and 21 year old La Masia graduate Carles Perez. In spite of so many key absentees, Barça put on an absolute show in front of the 79,159 people who attended the game.
The hosts looked really promising from the off as they moved the ball around with real intent. However, Real Betis were not going to go down easy. Completely against the run of play, owing to silly mistakes in midfield from Busquets, Rafinha and then Pique Betis took the lead. New signing Nabil Fekir finished off a wonderful Loren Moron pass in the 15th minute. Rubi has a tough task of stepping into the shoes of Quique Setien as the new coach of Betis. ‘Los Verdiblancos’ really made a name for themselves last season by playing phenomenal football under Setien. They were also the only team to inflict a loss upon Barça at the Camp Nou. However, despite a positive start in this fixture, Barça secured a great win.
Antoine Griezmann Show
In the absence of Messi and Luis Suarez, Griezmann led the line and boy did he deliver. 5 minutes before the break Griezmann finished off a lovely pass from Sergi Roberto to equalize for Barcelona. He then carried the momentum through into the second half, scoring his second from a wonderful curling shot to give the hosts the lead. A memorable celebration followed with an ecstatic Greizmann well and truly announcing himself to the Blaugrana faithful amidst a shower of blue and red confetti.
He would also go on to assist Barça’s 5th and final goal of the night for Arturo Vidal. Aside from the direct goal contributions, he seemed lively throughout the match. Griezmann showed clever movement, really nifty flicks, sharp passing combinations and he also worked hard to win the ball back on many occasions. He was among Barcelona’s brightest sparks on the night, much to the delight of Messi, Suarez and co. watching from the stands.
Dream Debuts for Carles Perez and Ansu Fati
The two youngsters Carles Perez and 16 year old Ansu Fati made their debuts for the first team and made quite the impression. Perez has been looking sharp since pre-season and he showcased even more of his ability tonight. The 21 year old showed real maturity on and off the ball. His close control was close to immaculate. To cap it off, he also scored a wonderful to make it 3-1 for Barcelona.
Ansu Fati, another promising youngster to come through the ranks of La Masia made his professional debut. He came on as a substitute in the 78th minute becoming the second youngest player to play for Barça in La Liga. Despite the limited time he had and that he played at RW instead of his natural LW position, he has generated tremendous buzz. Amongst fans on social media and pundits alike, he has really turned heads. It will be exciting to to see these two youngsters shine again for the first team.
Terrific Team Effort
Barça as a collective played really well today. They were proactive when it came to moving the ball around. The movement was sharp and meaningful. They created lots of good chances and pressed really well to win the ball back. Ernesto Valverde’s men really showed shades of the old Barça with their positioning and passing. Naturally, this led to the lion’s share of possession and attempts on goal. The entire team showed hunger and desire to win. All the players showed tremendous resolve. Another mistake at the back did allow Betis to pull a goal back in the 79th minute but it was too little too late. All credit to Loren Moron for the goal however, it was a splendid strike into the top corner.
Jordi Alba and Clement Lenglet were also very solid. the former even got on the scoresheet for the Catalans’ 4th goal. Pique made his 500th appearance for Barça and had a decent showing except his slight positional blunder in the first goal. Nelson Semedo also had a good outing.
All in all, FC Barcelona put up a terrific showing, gathering their first win of the season. They had to put the loss to Athletic Club behind them and they did just that and in some style. Tactically and individually splendid, everyone will be hoping for more of the same throughout the rest of the season.
Written by Aaryan Parasnis
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Photo credit to BarcelonaFC via Twitter
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