Barcelona got their La Liga campaign off to a flying start with a 2-1 win over Valencia on Saturday evening.
The visitors actually fell behind in the first half when Hugo Duro headed home, but Robert Lewandowski struck seconds before the break after a quiet 45 minutes.
Lewandowski doubled his tally just minutes after the restart from the penalty spot, guiding Barcelona to a crucial three points on Hansi Flick's La Liga debut.
How the game happened
Barcelona have tried to move forward too quickly, playing at a much higher tempo compared to the style under previous manager Xavi. Lamine Yamal was more of a threat, but his first attempt after cutting inside was well blocked.
It took Valencia almost 12 minutes to go ahead in the Barca box, but the hosts enjoyed a series of good moments. Duro and Andre Almeida both caused problems with powerful runs, before the former headed home for a corner.
Raphinha crashed home an effort from distance that stung the gloves of Giorgi Mamadashvili in the Valencia net, but the goalmouth action was cut short in the summer heat. Duro should have scored when he curled in a volley from six yards out, but luckily for the Valencia striker, the offside flag did not shame him.
Duro got a goal two minutes before the break but again, the offside flag was raised. However, a VAR check confirmed that the striker had timed his run well and allowed the goal.
Marc Casado saw a quick reaction attempt cleared a few yards before the line, and headed the other way, Pau Cubarsi had to make a goal line clearance to deny Duro after Marc-Andre ter Stegen gave the ball away.
With the last kick of the first half, Lewandowski equalized. Alejandro Balde's cross flew into the box and was deflected by Yamal, allowing Lewandowski to head home into an empty net. A busy end to an exciting first half.
Yamal's close-range strike should have seen Barcelona take the lead in the first minute of the second half, but they had another glorious chance 60 seconds later when Raphinha was awarded a penalty.
Lewandowski stepped up to the area and fired into the top corner, putting Barcelona ahead for the first time in the game.
Ferran Torres saw an effort saved just before the hour and Lewandowski almost had a hat-trick 20 minutes from time as his deflected effort went wide.
Barcelona continued to push in the third but, with the work done, they simply kept control of the game on their way to the crucial three points.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 5/10 – A poor pass almost gave Duro a second goal just before the break. Emotional functioning.
RB: Jules Kounde – 6/10 – He is often left on an island by those around him. It lost many battles but I can't do anything about that due to lack of numbers. He actually did better than he had any right to do.
CB: Pau Cubarsi – 6/10 – Some panicky moments early on but he deserves a lot of credit for his goal line clearances. You have maintained a certain goal. He was lucky to avoid a second yellow card early in the second half.
CB: Inigo Martinez – 5/10 – It's given too little in the back and failed to stay a tab on the Duro. It's hard to imagine him playing regular minutes this season.
LB: Alejandro Balde – 7/10 – He covers every blade of grass on the left side and looks to have improved his last ball. He caused all sorts of problems with his crossing before limping off at the hour mark.
DM: Marc Bernal – 6/10 – Honorable. His inexperience was on display for much of the game as Valencia picked spaces around him, but Bernal remained calm and can be proud of his display.
DM: Marc Casado – 7/10 – Nervous in the opening stages as his experience shows, but Casado grew into the process and played an important role after the break.
RM: Lamine Yamal – 7/10 – Not his best performance but he managed to grab the assist for Lewandowski's equalizing goal. It causes problems even if it is on the edge. He needs to work on his defensive contribution.
AM: Raphinha – 6/10 – It deserves credit for what was undoubtedly a huge amount of work, but this average Raphinha was not good. He struggled to get things together but some smart moves earned his side a penalty early in the second half.
LM: Ferran Torres – 5/10 – He made a lot of runs but rarely got the ball, so he ended up out of the area a lot.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 7/10 – No one on the field, including the goalkeeper, was affected less in the first half than Lewandowski (13), but the veteran player managed to get his name on the score sheet. Big penalty after the break.
What you are holding
SUB: Gerard Martin (64' for Balde) – 6/10
SUB: Pedri (64' for Ferran) – 6/10
SUB: Andreas Christensen (64' for Cubarsi) – 5/10
SUB: Eric Garcia (71' for Bernal) – 6/10
SUB: Pau Victor (86' for Yamal) – N/A
Subs used: Inaki Pena (GK), Ander Astralaga (GK), Sergi Dominguez, Alex Valle, Hector Fort, Pablo Torre
The manager
Hansi Flick – 6/10 – For all Barcelona's dominance on the score sheet, they were uncomfortable here. A lot of work remains to be done.
Best player: Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
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