Barcelona marked their long-awaited return to a revamped Camp Nou with a commanding 4-0 victory over 10-man Athletic Bilbao this afternoon.
After 909 days away from their home, Barca wasted no time reasserting their dominance, with first-half goals from Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres setting the tone.
Fermin Lopez added a third shortly after the break, and Athletic’s resistance completely collapsed when Oihan Sancet was sent off in the 53rd minute.
Torres sealed the emphatic win with a late fourth, taking Barcelona level on points with Real Madrid, who face Elche tomorrow.
Barca hit the ground running
Despite the absence of Pedri and Gavi through injury and the suspended Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona came out on the front foot. Lewandowski threatened immediately, forcing a superb block from Aymeric Laporte in the third minute.
Moments later, after Athletic failed to clear a dangerous cross, the veteran Pole unleashed a left-footed strike past Unai Simon to open the scoring.
Athletic briefly stirred, with Alex Berenguer miscontrolling a chance and Nico Williams curling a shot wide. Unai Gomez tested returning goalkeeper Joan Garcia with two efforts, while Fermin and Dani Olmo were denied by fine saves. But it was Torres who extended Barca’s lead just before halftime, expertly finishing a Lamine Yamal pass to make it 2-0.
Second-half dominance
Barcelona wasted little time putting the game beyond doubt after the break. Fermin Lopez struck within four minutes, assisted by Eric Garcia, and frustration boiled over for Athletic as Sancet was sent off for a reckless tackle.
The Catalans continued to pile on the pressure, with Yamal orchestrating another moment of brilliance before Torres slotted home his second to complete the 4-0 rout.
Substitute Raphinha came close to adding to the tally, his shot grazing the post, but Barcelona’s emphatic win was never in doubt.
