Barcelona continued their ideal start to the 2016-17 season with a 1-0 defeat of Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Advertisement
Midfielder Ivan Rakitic scored the decisive goal of the match with a firm header in the 21st minute following a well-placed cross by Arda Turan, the Guardian reported.
The Catalan outfit have now joined Las Palmas and Real Madrid on maximum points from their opening two fixtures, while Bilbao remain in the relegation zone having lost both of their league games at the start of the 2016-17 campaign.
Luis Enrique said his side’s victory over Athletic Bilbao – his 100th as Barcelona coach – would give the team strength.
“I believe we should close games like these sooner because we created many chances that we didn’t take advantage of, and against a team of [Athletic’s] calibre, these are three points of much merit”. They have the momentum going into this one, and all the markets reflect this.
Germany goalkeeper Ter Stegen will make his eighth league appearance for Barca following the departure of Claudio Bravo to Manchester City, and Luis Enrique praised the Chile global for his service to the club.
Bilbao will rue missing the few good chances that came their way. Other than that mistake, the German was poised and precise with his passes from the back.
The result helped Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen banish the memory of a 4-0 defeat at San Mames in last season’s Spanish Supercup – a night when questions were raised about his suitability for the club’s number one jersey.
Besides Rakitic’s excellent overall performance, coach Luis Enrique can also be pleased with new centerback Samuel Umtiti, as well as the continued form of Turan and Sergi Roberto.
Turan had another convincing match in place of Neymar, delivering the pin-point pass for what proved to be Rakitic’s victor.
Advertisement
Kevin-Prince Boateng restored the hosts’ lead with a goal in his home debut before El Zhar and substitutes Momo and Sergio Araujo sealed the win.
