Barcelona began their La Liga season with a successful 2-1 comeback win against Valencia on Saturday night.
The match started with a flourish as Valencia went ahead with a header from Hugo Duro. However, Robert Lewandowski found the net just before halftime, tapping in after a quiet opening 45 minutes. Shortly after the restart, Lewandowski scored again from the penalty spot, helping Barcelona secure three crucial points in Hansi Flick’s debut in La Liga.
Barcelona sought to attack quickly, showing a notably higher tempo than under former coach Xavi. Lamine Yamal was a constant threat on the wings, although his early effort was well blocked. Valencia took about 12 minutes to threaten Barcelona’s goal, with Duro and Andre Almeida creating some dangerous moments. Duro nearly scored with a volley but was saved by an offside flag.
Just before the break, Duro scored again, but again the offside flag was raised. After a VAR review, the goal was allowed as Duro had timed his run perfectly. A moment later, Marc Casado’s attempt was cleared off the line, and at the other end, Pau Cubarsi had to make a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Duro, who had capitalized on a mistake by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
In a dramatic finish to the first half, Lewandowski equalized, tapping in after a cross from Alejandro Balde that was redirected by Yamal. The second half opened with Yamal missing a close-range chance, but Barcelona earned a penalty just a minute later when Raphinha was fouled. Lewandowski converted the penalty, giving Barcelona a 2-1 lead.
Ferran Torres had a shot saved shortly before the hour mark, and Lewandowski almost completed a hat-trick with a deflected effort that went just wide. As Barcelona sought a third goal, they maintained control of the game to secure the win.
Player ratings for Barcelona are as follows:
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 5/10 – Had a shaky performance, including a poor pass that almost led to a second goal for Valencia.
RB: Jules Kounde – 6/10 – Struggled against the opposition but performed better than expected in a difficult situation.
CB: Pau Cubarsi – 6/10 – Experienced some early nerviness but made a crucial goal-line clearance.
CB: Inigo Martinez – 5/10 – Had a limited impact defensively and struggled to keep up with Duro.
LB: Alejandro Balde – 7/10 – Impressive performance, impacting the attack significantly before leaving the match due to injury.
DM: Marc Bernal – 6/10 – Showed signs of inexperience but remained composed as the match progressed.
DM: Marc Casado – 7/10 – Started nervously but contributed effectively as the game went on.
RM: Lamine Yamal – 7/10 – Played a quiet but effective role, providing an assist for the equalizer.
AM: Raphinha – 6/10 – Despite immense work rate, struggled for fluency in linking up play.
LM: Ferran Torres – 5/10 – Made good runs but was often left isolated.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 7/10 – Despite limited touches in the first half, he managed to score twice.
Substitutes included Gerard Martin, Pedri, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, and Pau Victor, with varying performances. Hansi Flick received a 6/10 for his management, noting that while statistics favored Barcelona, there is still room for improvement.