It is an old football adage that when a goalkeeper is named 'MVP', his team are in serious trouble. That truism was laid bare as an out-of-sorts Athletic Club were brushed aside by a rampant Barcelona. Only an astonishing catalogue of saves from Unai Simon - including several on passages of play that were ultimately chalked off - spared the visitors a heavy drubbing at the hands of Hansi Flick's side on a momentous night celebrating the reopening of Camp Nou and Rodri Hernandez's Blaugrana debut.

FC Barcelona: Save for a few fleeting moments, Barca dictated the tempo throughout. High-level football returned to the Catalan capital with the hosts showcasing their devastating attacking arsenal, further enlivened by an Anthony Gordon brimming with flair and purpose. Among the established ranks, Pedri and Raphinha unlocked the Athletic rearguard for the breakthrough, the Spaniard sliding an incisive through ball for the Brazilian to glide past Unai Simon and finish. The second goal, which had long felt inevitable despite the slender margin, came courtesy of the clinical Fermin Lopez, who now has three goals in his first two outings since missing the World Cup. Lamine Yamal was equally influential, even if he did not manage to get on the scoresheet.

Athletic Club: Edin Terzic's men have endured a thoroughly miserable start to the campaign, stumbling to back-to-back defeats with just one goal scored and five conceded. An unjust and admittedly erroneous red card shown to Yuri had derailed their opening fixture, and this trip to Catalonia presented an even steeper mountain to climb. Barca gave the Basque side precious little breathing space, limited largely to an early sighter from Nico Williams and an Oihan Sancet effort that rattled the woodwork in the second half. Just as second-half substitutions offered Athletic a glimmer of hope, a misjudged clearance from a beleaguered Laporte gifted Fermin the chance to wrap up the 2-0 win.

Match stats for Barcelona vs Athletic in La Liga, 27 August 2026. BeSoccer

Fermín López

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