Barcelona made a winning return to the Spotify Camp Nou on Thursday, defeating Athletic Club 2–0 as Raphinha and Fermín López continued their scoring form at the start of the La Liga season.
Raphinha put the champions ahead in the 37th minute after Pedri sent a through ball into his path. The Brazilian rounded Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simón before calmly finishing to give Barcelona the advantage.
Athletic stayed within reach for much of the match, largely because Simón produced several important saves. Barcelona created the clearer opportunities and struck the woodwork twice, but the visitors avoided conceding again until the closing stages.
Lamine Yamal was among the Barcelona players to threaten the Athletic goal. He was denied by Simón before later hitting the crossbar with an effort from outside the penalty area. Athletic also had a chance to level when Oihan Sancet’s shot came back off the post.
The home side eventually found the second goal in the 81st minute. Athletic defender Aymeric Laporte made an error as Karim Adeyemi’s cross reached the danger area, allowing Fermín López to finish and put the result beyond Athletic.
The victory also gave Barcelona a perfect six points from their opening two league matches. Raphinha and Fermín had both scored in the team’s opening-day win over Elche, and each found the net again against Athletic.
The match also marked Rodri’s first appearance for Barcelona. The Spain midfielder came on as a second-half substitute after joining the Catalan club from Manchester City.
After the game, Rodri welcomed the result and said he was pleased to have made his first appearance for the club.
“Very happy to play my first game, happy with the victory, we’ve got two from two.”
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick had kept Raphinha in the central attacking role following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. The decision paid off again, with the Brazilian now scoring three times in his first two league appearances of the campaign.
For Athletic, the defeat means two losses from two league games under new coach Edin Terzić. The Basque side showed enough resistance to remain in the contest, but Barcelona’s pressure and greater number of chances eventually told.
Barcelona’s next league fixture is against Rayo Vallecano, while Athletic will travel to face Celta Vigo on Sunday.
