Barcelona - NouCamp Faithful

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Barcelona 3 - 0 Juventus : Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite earn Messi-less Barcelona Gamper Trophy win

Barcelona began life without Lionel Messi on Sunday night by winning 3-0 over Juventus in the Joan Gamper trophy. Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite and Riqui Puig scored the goals.

This edition of the Gamper, a traditional festive occasion when Barca presents the squad for the upcoming season, proved a nostalgic affair. Just hours before the encounter, a tearful Messi bade farewell at a news conference after 21 years with the club, after Barca were unable to sign the player to a new contract.

Fans had hoped for a showdown between the Argentinian forward and Juve's Cristiano Ronaldo, with the two having won 11 Ballon d'Or trophies between them, but Messi's departure prevented that from happening.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 4 - 2 Real Sociedad : Barcelona's post-Lionel Messi era begins with LaLiga win over Real Sociedad

Barcelona won their first LaLiga match of the post-Lionel Messi era with a 4-2 victory that saw Real Sociedad mount a late rally.

Their season-opening match at Camp Nou came after a drama-filled week that saw club legend Messi, who had been with Barca for 21 years, join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

Gerard Pique scored Barca's first goal on the night with a close-range header from Memphis Depay's free kick delivery in the 19th minute.

Martin Braithwaite doubled Barca's lead just seconds before half-time with a back-post header off a delivery from Frenkie de Jong.

Braithwaite made it two on the night for him when he scored in the 59th minute after goalkeeper Alex Remiro palmed the ball into the path of the Danish striker.

La Real pulled one back in the 82nd minute when Julen Lobete scored, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring three minutes later on a stunning free-kick to cut Barca's lead to one. However, Sergio Roberto scored in the waning moments to secure the three points.

The match the return of fans to Camp Nou in 17 months, with 20,000 supporters in attendance.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Athletic Bilbao 1 - 1 Barcelona : Memphis Depay strikes as Barcelona rally for draw

Memphis Depay scored his first goal as a Barcelona player as the team came from behind to draw with Athletic Bilbao in their second match of the new LaLiga campaign on Saturday night.

Ronald Koeman's side were under pressure from the start and watched as Athletic's Inaki Williams tormented their backline even before veteran defender Gerard Pique was forced off with an apparent injury in the 31st minute.

Williams fired a sweetly-hit volley from distance shortly before half-time, but the shot went right at Barca keeper Neto and the teams went into the break with the game still goalless.

Eric Garcia, who was ultimately sent off for a clear path foul late in the game, continued to struggle against Williams and the hosts went deservedly ahead soon after the restart from a corner when Inigo Martinez rose up and headed past Neto to make it 1-0.

However, Barca drew level as the half wore on when substitute Sergi Roberto set up Memphis and the Netherlands international smashed a rising volley into the back of the net to set up a tense closing quarter of an hour.

Despite the better second half from Barca, the teams were forced to settle for a point as Koeman's team continued to adjust to life without their former talisman Lionel Messi after he left for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent this summer.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 2 - 1 Getafe : Memphis Barcelona's hero again in win over Getafe

Memphis Depay struck the winning goal as Barcelona maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 win against Getafe at Camp Nou in LaLiga on Sunday.

Memphis' second goal in three games since joining from Lyon was enough to seal the points for Barca after Sandro Ramirez had cancelled out Sergi Roberto's earlier opener.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 0 - 3 Bayern Munich : Bayern cruise past Barcelona 3-0 on Lewandowski brace, Muller strike

Two goals from Robert Lewandowski and one from Thomas Muller propelled Bayern Munich to a 3-0 win at Barcelona in their opening Champions League game on Tuesday in another brutal demonstration of the gulf in class between the two sides.

Muller gave Bayern the lead in the 34th minute with a strike from outside the area which deflected off Barca defender Eric Garcia to confound goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Lewandowski struck the German champions' second in the 54th, tapping into the net from close range on the rebound after Jamal Musiala had hit the post as Bayern made a rampant start following the interval, hemming their hosts into their own half.

The Polish striker twisted the knife further into Barcelona by scoring again in the 85th, collecting the ball in the area after another shot had come back off the post and tormenting the defence before calmly beating Ter Stegen in the Group E clash.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 1 - 1 Granada : Barcelona need late goal to salvage draw

Ronald Araujo's late header salvaged a 1-1 draw for Barcelona against Granada at the Camp Nou on Monday night.

Ronald Koeman picked a young XI for the match, with 33-year-old Sergio Busquets the only player over 30, while Philippe Coutinho made his first start for Barca since Dec. 19, 2020.

Granada took the lead a mere 88 seconds into the game when Domingos Duarte was picked out at the far post with a stellar cross from Sergio Escudero and he made no mistake about the finish, powering a header past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The hosts spent most of the remainder of the first half in Granada's end, but could find no end product despite peppering Luís Maximiano's goal with a late flurry right before the break.

Searching for goals, Koeman made two changes, bringing on Luuk de Jong for Sergi Roberto at the start of the second half and substituting Gavi for Coutinho on the hour mark as Barca continued to trail by a goal.

De Jong had a golden chance to equalise just before 80 minutes, but he impossibly headed over the bar from point-blank range from an outswinging Memphis Depay cross.

With a loss looking likely for Koeman's side, Gavi settled a loose ball in the area and deftly chipped it back in front of goal where Araujo rose and met the ball and redirected it past Maximiano to save a point for Barcelona.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Cádiz 0 - 0 Barcelona : Koeman, Frenkie de Jong sent off as Barca stumble to draw

Barcelona's troubled season continued on Thursday after they were held to a 0-0 draw with Cadiz at the Nuevo Mirandilla. Under pressure boss Ronald Koeman was sent off for dissent towards the end of the drab draw, with Barcelona finishing with 10 men after Frenkie de Jong also saw red.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 3 - 0 Levante : Ansu Fati nets on Barcelona return to ease pressure on Ronald Koeman

Ansu Fati scored on his first Barcelona appearance in 10 months to ease the pressure on under-fire boss Ronald Koeman in a 3-0 win over Levante at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Memphis Depay had given Barca the lead before Luuk de Jong scored his first goal for the club since joining from Sevilla on the final day of the summer transfer window, but Ansu stole the show with his 10-minute cameo.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Benfica 3 - 0 Barcelona : Barcelona beaten by Benfica in Champions League as Koeman pressure mounts

Barcelona's fortunes took another downward turn after Benfica beat the beleaguered Catalan club 3-0 in Champions League group stage action on Wednesday.

It was the second straight loss in the competition by a three-goal margin for Ronald Koeman's side, following a defeat to Bayern Munich by the same scoreline two weeks ago.

It adds further pressure to Koeman, whose has come under immense criticism and could potentially be sacked amid a equally lacklustre start to the LaLiga season.

Uruguay star Darwin Nunez had two goals for Benfica on the night to lead the Portuguese powerhouse to the win at an electric night in Lisbon. Nunez's first goal came just three minutes into the game when he raced past Barca's backline and cut in on the left for the near-post finish.

Jorge Jesus' side continued to mount pressure after the break, with Rafa Silva doubling Benfica's lead in the 69th minute when he pounced on Joao Mario's initial shot.

Nunez converted a penalty in the 79th minute after Sergino Dest was booked for a handball inside the box.

Barcelona finished the night with 10 men after Eric Garcia shown his second yellow card on the night.

Barca are at the bottom of Group E with no points from two games, six behind leaders Bayern and four adrift of Benfica. Dynamo Kiev are third place in one point.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Atletico Madrid 2 - 0 Barcelona : Luis Suarez shines as Atletico Madrid heap more misery on Barcelona

Luis Suarez heaped more misery on his former club Barcelona as he helped Atletico Madrid claim a 2-0 victory over the Catalans on Saturday.

The striker contributed a goal and an assist to mount pressure on Barca coach Ronald Koeman heading into the international break.

The former Barca man set up Thomas Lemar for the opener, and the Frenchman returned the favour, as Suarez sealed the victory for the reigning LaLiga champions but was stoic in the aftermath of his goal.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 3 - 1 Valencia : Barcelona earn comeback win over Valencia

Barcelona overcame an early deficit to earn a 3-1 comeback win over Valencia on Sunday at the Camp Nou, leapfrogging their guests in the LaLiga table.

Goals from Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay and Philippe Coutinho ensured that the Blaugrana tasted victory for just the second time in seven contests, temporarily easing the building pressure on out-of-favour manager Ronald Koeman. Meanwhile, after a hot start that saw them win three of their first four, Valencia are now winless in five and have sunk to ninth in the table.

Jose Gaya opened the scoring for the visitors in the fifth minute.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 1 - 0 Dynamo Kiev : Barcelona halt worst-ever Champions League start with win over Dynamo Kiev

Barcelona have halted their worst-ever start to a Champions League campaign as they eased to a 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Manager Ronald Koeman's side have moved off the bottom of Group E, claiming their first win in the competition following four defeats in their previous five Champions League games in a run that stretched back to December 2020.

Right-back Sergino Dest looked to open the scoring with a one-on-one chance on 35 minutes but fired a down the throat of Dynamo goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan. However, shortly after the ensuing corner, defender Gerard Pique volleyed home a floated cross from left-back Jordi Alba -- Barca's first goal of this season's competition after suffering back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Bayern Munich and Benfica in their opening two matches.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 1 - 2 Real Madrid : Real Madrid up pressure on Barcelona's Ronald Koeman with Clasico win at Camp Nou

Real Madrid upped the pressure on Barcelona's Ronald Koeman as they won 2-1 in El Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday.

The win means Madrid top LaLiga ahead of Real Sociedad's clash with Atletico Madrid, while Barcelona's poor season continues and they occupy eighth on the table.

The sides were even for much of the game with chances at both ends but it was David Alaba who opened the scoring.

Carlo Ancelotti's side countered after Memphis Depay was dispossessed. Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo were both involved in the build-up before the ball found its way to Alaba who struck it past Marc-Andre ter Stegen and into the top corner.

Lucas Vazquez made the win safe with a close-range finish on 93 minutes after Madrid caught Barca on the counterattack.

Sergio Aguero pulled one back for Barcelona in the sixth minute of added time with a close-range finish and Dest assisting. The goal is his first for Barcelona.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[PaulPogba]

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/spor...defeat-2266331

Sounded serious.

[PaulPogba]

Barcelona sacked Koeman.

Morning Barca lost to Rayo Vallecano.