FC Barcelona got off to a winning start in their quest to regain the LaLiga title from their eternal rivals Real Madrid. The Blaugrana took on Valencia away at the Mestella Stadium and came away with all three points thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s brace. After a cagey first half, Hugo Duro scored first for Valencia, with Lewandowski bringing Barca level in injury time. Early on in the second half, Raphinha drew a foul from Cristhian Mosquera, resulting in a penalty for Barcelona, which Lewandowski slotted into the top left corner.
As Hansi Flick’s time in the Barcelona dugout begins with a win, Barcelona will be looking to build on this after the disappointment of losing the Joan Gamper Trophy to AS Monaco. Flick is a manager who works well with young players, and 5 players of the starting 11 were under the age of 20. 17-year old Marc Bernal made his full debut with the first team, and looked at ease in the middle of the park alongside 20-year old Marc Casado. La Masia prospects Pau Victor and Gerard Martin also made their debut for Barcelona against Valencia
17-year old Pau Cubarsi made a vital goal-line clearance to prevent Hugo Duro from getting a second goal for Valencia, and was easily the stand-out player for the Blaugrana. Hugo Duro was lively in the first half, but the Barca defence was solid in the second and Valencia couldn’t get a peek at Ter Stegen’s goal.
For Barcelona, Athletic Club await at the Camp Nou in Matchweek 2, even as rumors of a Barca move for Athletic star Nico Williams persist. Meanwhile for Valencia, a trip away to Celta Vigo is up next, where they will be looking to bounce back from this loss.
