Barcelona - NouCamp Faithful

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Real Betis 1 - 2 Barcelona : Barcelona secure Champions League qualification thanks to late Jordi Alba winner

A stunning goal from Jordi Alba deep into injury time gave Barcelona a 2-1 victory at Real Betis to secure qualification for the Champions League next season.

Alba's unstoppable volley at the back post means Barcelona now have an unassailable 11-point lead over fifth-placed Betis with three games of the LaLiga season remaining.

Earlier, Barcelona had taken the lead with a first goal since January for Ansu Fati in the 76th minute. But Barca were pegged back almost immediately when former Camp Nou defender Marc Bartra headed home a corner just three minutes later.

Alba's late goal means Xavi Hernandez has achieved his main aim after taking over midseason. It also gives Barcelona a healthy five point cushion in second place, although third-placed Sevilla have played a game fewer.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 3 - 1 Celta Vigo : Barcelona strengthen grip on second place in LaLiga with win over Celta Vigo

Barcelona strengthened their grip on second place in LaLiga with a 3-1 victory over Celta Vigo at Camp Nou on Tuesday.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continued to prove a worthwhile January addition from Arsenal, scoring twice, either side of half-time, to take his LaLiga tally to 11.

It was also another impressive display for Ousmane Dembele. The French forward laid on the opening goal for Memphis Depay on 30 minutes after a superb run down the right before setting up Aubameyang's second with an almost identical assist.

Celta Vigo, who finished with more efforts on goal than their hosts, pulled a goal back shortly after Barca made it 3-0 when Iago Aspas capitalised on a poor pass out of the back by Marc-Andre ter Stegen. But they would later be reduced to 10 men following a red card for Jeison Murillo in the 58th minute.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Getafe 0 - 0 Barcelona : Barcelona secure second place, Getafe will stay up after goalless draw

Barcelona and Getafe played out a goalless draw at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Sunday, ensuring the hosts cannot be relegated from LaLiga this season after a rocky start to their 2021-22 campaign.

The point also secures a second-place finish in Spain's top flight for Xavi Hernandez's side, who had already secured Champions League football for next season.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 0 - 2 Villarreal : Barcelona end LaLiga campaign with defeat

Barcelona slumped to a lacklustre 2-0 defeat to Villarreal on Sunday at Camp Nou in their final match of the 2021-22 season, with Unai Emery's side securing a spot in the Europa Conference League off the back of the victory.

Xavi Hernandez's team had already locked up second place in the Spain behind runaway champions Real Madrid and were undone against Villarreal goals from Alfonso Pedraza and Moi Gomez either side of half-time.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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A-League All-Stars 2 - 3 Barcelona : Barcelona survive scare to claim comeback win over A-League All Stars

Barcelona survived a mighty scare as they were forced to come from behind to claim a 3-2 friendly victory against the A-League All Stars.

In front of 70,174 fans -- mostly of Barcelona persuasion -- the Dwight Yorke-coached All Stars claimed an unlikely 2-1 lead in the second half before being pegged back twice in the final 20 minutes on Wednesday.

The selection of the A-League's best, who were playing their first game since 2014, gave a good account of themselves with departing Wellington winger Reno Piscopo a standout after contributing a goal and assist in the defeat.

In fairness to the All Stars, this was no second-rate Barcelona side given five of Xavi's starting lineup included players who began Sunday's loss to Villarreal.

Among them were veteran Dani Alves and Sergio Busquets, who immediately flexed their muscles when Balde forced Macarthur goalkeeper Filip Kurto into action in the first five minutes.

Brisbane's Jay O'Shea and Socceroos hopeful Jason Cummings both had chances to put the All Stars ahead but neither could finish past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Barca dominated but couldn't penetrate in the opening half an hour to the extent fans broke out into spontaneous renditions of the Mexican wave to keep their minds occupied.

Concentration slipped momentarily for the All Stars when Central Coast defender Kye Rowles was beaten by Busquets and within three passes Ousmane Dembele registered the game's opening goal.

It was a similar tale two minutes after half time, but this time it was the All Stars who were the beneficiaries.

Newcastle's Daniel Penha played a bending ball behind the back of the Barca defence for Anthony Caceres to latch onto and while his shot was saved by substitute goalkeeper Aranau Tenas, an onrushing Piscopo was able to poke home.

The All Stars kept their foot on the throat with a second goal coming in similar fashion six minutes later.

This time Piscopo was played in and he squared to Western Sydney's Adama Traore to give Yorke's side an unlikely 2-1 lead.

Central Coast teenager Garang Kuol nearly made it three when played in but misfired.

That would prove to be the downfall of Yorke's side with substitute All Stars keeper Andrew Redmayne unable to keep out Barcelona's own Adama Traore, who drew Barca level with 20 minutes left.

The strike seemed to spark Barca into gear and they were ahead when wonderkid Ansu Fati cushioned the ball past Redmayne from close range.

Kuol hit the bar in the final minutes but the All Stars couldn't find the equaliser.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Olot 1 - 1 Barcelona : Barcelona held to preseason draw by fifth-tier Olot in friendly

Barcelona began their preseason with a 1-1 draw against fellow Catalonian side Olot on Wednesday.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the visitors in front of their fifth-tier opponents in the 29th minute, before Eloi equalised for Olot from the penalty spot just before half-time.

A scoreless second half saw the game end 1-1, despite Barca taking 21 shots in the match and putting seven of those on frame in front of 3,000 spectators at the tiny Estadi Municipal d'Olot.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Inter Miami CF 0 - 6 Barcelona : Raphinha scores as Barcelona trounce MLS side Inter Miami

Barcelona battered MLS side Inter Miami CF 6-0 in a preseason friendly in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday, with new signing Raphinha among the six different scorers for the Catalans.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ansu Fati, Gavi, Memphis Depay and Ousmane Dembele also scored in the one-sided affair as the LaLiga giants kicked off their preseason tour of the United States.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Real Madrid 0 - 1 Barcelona : Raphinha on target as Barcelona beat Real Madrid in Las Vegas Clasico

Raphinha scored the only goal of the game as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the first Clasico of the season in Las Vegas.

The Brazil winger -- signed from Leeds this month -- put Barca ahead in the 27th minute of the Soccer Champions Tour friendly, firing into the top corner after Eder Militao gave the ball away.

Substitute Marco Asensio missed Madrid's best chance, shooting wide, and Thibaut Courtois made a string of late saves as Barcelona dominated in front of a crowd of 61,299 fans.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 2 - 2 Juventus : Barcelona draw with Juventus as Ousmane Dembele scores two stellar goals

Moise Kean scored twice to cancel out two Ousmane Dembele goals as Juventus and Barcelona drew 2-2 in a friendly in Dallas on Tuesday.

Dembele opened the scoring with a brilliant individual effort just after the half-hour mark at the Cotton Bowl, but Kean replied for Juve soon after.

A second Dembele strike -- off another fine solo run -- handed Barca the lead at the break only for Kean top level for Juventus again early in the second half.

Barca now move on to the final game of their tour of the United States against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, while Juve will face Real Madrid in Pasadena this weekend.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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New York Red Bulls 0 - 2 Barcelona : Barcelona beat New York Red Bulls with goals from Ousmane Dembele and Memphis Depay

Ousmane Dembele and Memphis Depay were on target as Barcelona closed their tour of the United States with a comfortable 2-0 win over New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

Dembele's fourth goal of preseason opened the scoring at a sold-out Red Bull Arena just before the break. The French forward linked up well with Raphinha before driving home.

Barca missed a string of chances to add to their tally, with Robert Lewandowski forced to wait for his first goal for his new club once again, before Memphis finally added the second late in the second half after Daniel Edelman had been sent off for the hosts.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 6 - 0 Pumas UNAM : Dani Alves honoured before Barcelona trounce Pumas in Joan Gamper Trophy

Robert Lewandowski opened his account for Barcelona and Pedri scored twice in a resounding 6-0 win against Pumas UNAM in the Joan Gamper Trophy at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Lewandowski broke the deadlock inside the first two minutes before a Pedri brace and an Ousmane Dembele goal eased Barca into a four-goal lead by the 20-minute mark.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Frenkie de Jong completed the scoring in the second half as Xavi Hernandez's side rounded off an unbeaten preseason with their fourth win in six matches.

It wasn't the Camp Nou return Dani Alves had perhaps expected. The Brazilian swapped Barca for Pumas in the summer and was presented with a commemorative shirt by his former club before the game but, like his new teammates, he was a passenger once the match started.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 0 - 0 Rayo Vallecano : Barcelona held to frustrating 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga opener

Barcelona were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Rayo Vallecano as a summer of uncertainty off the pitch spilled over into their LaLiga opener at Camp Nou on Saturday.

Barca's frustration was amplified in stoppage time when Sergio Busquets was shown a second yellow card for what deemed an elbow to the face of Rayo striker Falcao.

Barcelona began with three of their summer signings -- Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Andreas Christensen -- in the starting lineup after they were finally able to be registered with LaLiga on Friday night. But Xavi Hernandez's side, seeking to win the Spanish title for the first time since 2019, could not find their way through an impressive performance from last season's 12th-placed team.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Real Sociedad 1 - 4 Barcelona : Robert Lewandowski scores first Barcelona goals in big win

Robert Lewandowski scored a brace as Barcelona cruised to a 4-1 victory at Real Sociedad on Sunday, their first win of the new LaLiga season.

Spanish teenage sensation Ansu Fati, who has been struggling to recover after a series of knee surgeries in the last two years, came off the bench in the second half and took charge of the proceedings with two assists and a goal.

The Poland striker, who was celebrating his birthday, opened the scoring in the first minute of the game, rifling in a shot after a great pass from Alejandro Balde inside the penalty area.

But Alexander Isak equalised five minutes later after latching onto a pass from David Silva.

Barca struggled to break the deadlock until coach Xavi Hernandez sent on Raphinha and Fati in the 64th minute, with both proving crucial to Barca's success.

First, Fati assisted Ousmane Dembele with a brilliant heel pass after a fine piece of individual play from Raphinha.

Than Fati finished a beautiful team effort to assist Lewandowski to the third.

Lewandowski returned the favour 10 minutes later, enabling 19-year-old Fati to score Barca's fourth to wrap up the points.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 3 - 3 Manchester City : Barcelona draw with Manchester City in charity match to benefit ALS research

Riyad Mahrez scored a stoppage-time penalty as Manchester City and Barcelona played out an entertaining 3-3 draw in front of 91,062 fans at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

The fixture was a fundraiser for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND), which former Barca goalkeeper and coach Juan Carlos Unzue was diagnosed with in 2020.

Julian Alvarez opened the scoring for City in the 21st minute, but Barca turned the game around with goals either side of half-time from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Frenkie de Jong.

Cole Palmer drew City level, but the home side looked to have won it when substitute Memphis Depay, who has been told to find a new club before the transfer window closes next week, turned home 10 minutes from time.

However, there was a final twist in the tale when City were handed a late penalty after Erling Haaland appeared to trip himself up in the box accidentally -- even the Norway striker looked perplexed at the decision -- and Mahrez made no mistake from 12 yards.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 4 - 0 Real Valladolid : Robert Lewandowski at the double again as Barcelona stroll past Real Valladolid

Robert Lewandowski scored his second consecutive brace as Barcelona breezed past Real Valladolid with a comfortable 4-0 LaLiga victory on Sunday.

It was Barca's second win from three games in the new season and moved them up to third in the table with seven points, two behind leaders Real Betis and Real Madrid.

Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele both went close for Barca, hitting the post in the first half, but it did not take long for them to open the scoring, as Lewandowski stroked home from close range from a perfect Raphinha cross to the far post in the 24th minute.

Barcelona extended their lead right before half-time through Pedri, who riffled a curling strike into the top-left corner after a nice pass by Dembele from the right touchline.

Lewandowski scored Barca's third in the 65th minute, with a brilliant back-heel that deflected off a defender before beating goalkeeper Jordi Masip.

The Poland striker had a golden opportunity to complete a hat trick in added time, but Masip made a great stop to keep out his close range shot.

Substitute Sergi Roberto, however, was in the right place at the right time to strike home the rebound and wrap up the points.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)