Xavi’s Barcelona welcomed former coach Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao to Camp Nou for their La Liga clash on Sunday night (October 23). The Blaugrana comprehensively overwhelmed their opponents in what was expected to be a tricky encounter, securing a 4-0 win on matchday 11.
Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Roberto, Robert Lewandowski, and Ferran Torres were the goalscorers at Camp Nou on Sunday. The win was Barcelona’s second on the trot after falling to a 3-1 El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid on October 16.
Barca, as expected, quickly settled on the ball, and carved their first opportunity soon after kickoff. In the 10th minute, Dembele delivered a lofted through ball inside the Bilbao box. Gavi dashed to connect with his delivery, but the ball bounced before he could make contact and went out for a goal kick.
A couple of minutes later, Dembele put his team in front, applying the finishing touch to Lewandowski’s teasing cross into the area.
Six minutes later, Barcelona doubled their advantage, with Roberto finding the back of the Bilbao net with the help of a deflection. His strike took a fortunate deflection off of Inigo Martinez and wrongfooted the goalkeeper Unai Simon before finding its way in.
Bilbao were well and truly rocked by Barca’s quick-fire double and struggled to get into the game. Four minutes after conceding the second goal, the visitors found themselves further behind. The league’s top scorer Lewandowski unsurprisingly joined the party, applying a left-footed finish to put Barca three goals to the good.
Barca had the opportunity to quadruple their advantage in the 38th minute when Alejandro Balde found Franck Kessie at the near post. Much to the Cules’ dismay, the former AC Milan man could not wrap his foot around the ball and failed to capitalize on the opportunity.
Eight minutes into the second half, Pedri hit the post from close range, with Bilbao’s Dani Garcia playing a crucial role in stopping the Spaniard from scoring. Over the next 15 minutes, Barca lodged three shots on target, with Dembele, Ansu Fati, and Torres all trying their luck. Simon made some respectable saves to keep out their efforts.
In the 73rd minute, Torres got the goal he was looking for, tucking the ball home from a narrow angle to seal a commanding win for the hosts. Here are five Barcelona players who stood out in their impressive win over sixth-placed Bilbao on Sunday:
#5 Ferran Torres
Coming on for Pedri in the 63rd minute, substitute Ferran Torres put in a promising shift on Sunday. He lodged a shot on target four minutes after coming on, trying to beat Simon with a flicked finish. The Spain no. 1 denied that particular attempt but was beaten a mere six minutes later, with Torres slotting the ball home from a tight angle.
Torres also made a key pass, played 11 accurate passes, and won his only duel against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
#4 Alejandro Balde
Xavi picked 19-year-old left-back Alejandro Balde to start ahead of Jordi Alba against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Producing a spirited performance, Balde proved why Xavi was right to do so. The youngster was stunning over the course of the match, running up and down the pitch, making encouraging forward passes, and tirelessly tracking back during opposition attacks.
Balde made three clearances, attempted two tackles, and played two key passes against Bilbao. He also delivered three accurate long balls, won all six of his ground duels, and completed both of his attempted dribbles.
#3 Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski scored his 12th goal and claimed his fourth assist of the 2022-23 La Liga campaign on Sunday. He did ever so well to deliver an accurate cross into the area, which Dembele thumped home in the 12th minute. Ten minutes later, he scored himself, turning Oscar De Marcos and firing past Simon to triple Barca’s lead.
In addition to pitching in with a goal and an assist, the Pole made a key pass, won an aerial duel, and created a big chance at Camp Nou on Sunday.
#2 Sergi Roberto
Barca right-back Sergi Roberto produced his best performance of the season on Sunday. Not only did he score a goal in the 18th minute to put his team in the driving seat, but he was also rock-solid at the back as well. Roberto’s link-up play with Dembele was a thing of beauty and was simply too tricky to handle for the visiting side.
Against Bilbao, Roberto attempted three tackles, made two interceptions, delivered three accurate long balls, and won all five of his ground duels. He also completed a dribble, delivered an accurate cross, and drew a foul.
The Spain international unfortunately dislocated his shoulder during a tackle, which could rule him out of action for a significant period.
#1 Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele was easily Barcelona’s standout performer on Sunday night, scoring once and providing a hat-trick of assists. The Frenchman applied a superb headed finish to Lewandowski’s cross in the 12th minute to put Barca ahead. Six minutes later, he played a little one-two with Roberto to set him up for his goal. In the 22nd minute, he returned the favor to Lewandowski, going on a fantastic run before assisting him with an inch-perfect pass.
Dembele’s assist to Torres in the 73rd minute was arguably the best of the lot, with him darting through the right flank before playing a sumptuous defense-piercing through ball.
In addition to playing a part in all four of Barca’s goals, Dembele made four key passes, delivered four accurate long balls, and created two big chances.