Marc Guiu made a dream debut for Barca as they edged out Bilbao.
Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in their La Liga game on Sunday. The Catalans snatched a hard-fought victory to inch closer to the top of the table.
What happened?
Barcelona struggled to establish dominance during the first half as Bilbao barely allowed them to create serious chances. The visitors, on the other hand, forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen to make two brilliant saves just before the break.
Xavi Hernandez’s side looked much better in the second half but had to wait until the 80th minute to score the match-winner. Xavi replaced Fermin Lopez with 17-year-old Marc Guiu, who went on to score with his first touch for Barca’s senior team.
Following a brilliant through pass from Joao Felix, Guiu guided a right-footed finish past Unai Simon to put the hosts ahead. The goal was enough to ensure Barca’s victory as their opponents failed to bounce back in the final ten minutes.
Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao: Man of the Match
Joao Felix deserves the Man of the Match title after making another fantastic display for the Catalans. The Portuguese star was central to Barca’s pressure on Bilbao’s backline in the second half, finally providing an assist for Guiu’s goal.
Player Ratings
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (7); Cancelo (7), Martínez (6), Christensen (6), Balde (7); Romeu (6), Gavi (7), Gundogan (6), Fermín (6); Felix (8), F. Torres (6).
Bench: Araujo (6), Yamal (6), Alonso (5), Guiu (7).
Athletic Bilbao: Simon (7), Vivian (6), Paredes (5), De Marcos (6), Berchiche (6), De Galarreta (7), Garcia (6), I. Williams (7), Sancet (6), N. Williams (6), Guruzeta (5).
Bench: Lekue (5), Prados (5), Ares (7), Gomez (5), Berenguer (6).
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