Barcelona continued their renewed efforts in the chase for the La Liga crown as they beat Athletic Club 4-0 on Sunday (October 23) at the Camp Nou, scoring three goals in the first half.
Football fans on Twitter went into meltdown as the Blaugrana secured their second crucial victory on the trot after beating Villarreal 3-0 last time around.
Things started off problematically for Athletic Bilbao as they quickly slumped to Barcelona’s threatening attack. Within 10 minutes, the hosts had already showcased signs of things to come, as Bilbao’s defense failed to deal with a chip into Gavi from Ousmane Dembele.
The first goal came only two minutes later, as the Basque outfit seemed to have no hopes of defending an onslaught from the Blaugrana at Camp Nou. It was Dembele, once again, who brought smiles to the faces of the Blaugranes as Robert Lewandowski turned provider for the winger.
The Frenchman powered his effort at goal after cutting inside from the right, but the curling shot was parried away by Unai Simon. Lewandowski picked up on the loose ball and scooped it back for Dembele to rise for a towering header and finish in style.
In the 18th minute, Barcelona doubled their lead, this time with Sergi Roberto. The full-back took off on a marauding run through the final third, playing a one-two with Dembele to confuse the Basque defenders. Their plans worked and their efforts came to fruition as Dembele’s return pass landed perfectly for the right-back to finish. A deflection certainly played a part in wrong-footing the goalkeeper, but Sergi Roberto got his name on the scoresheet nonetheless.
Four minutes later, Barcelona scored their third goal of the night. Dembele bagged his second assist in two minutes as Athletic Club found it impossible to stop the forward from tearing up their defensive positions.
The goal went to Lewandowski, who had guided Dembele to the opening goal of the game. Dembele slunk past his marker, got near the box, and squared it on for Lewandowski, who seldom misses from close-range.
Athletic Club submit meekly as Barcelona inflict defeat
The second half started off with the Blaugrana hitting the post, following poor distribution from the Bilbao goalkeeper, but they did not rest on their oars. Barcelona continued to seek out chance after chance, with Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Ferran Torres getting close.
Torres eventually scored the fourth and final goal of the game, also marking a hat-trick of assists for Ousmane Dembele, who was simply unplayable for Athletic. Notably, the visitors did secure a massive chance near injury time, but Barcelona’s defense ensured they got the ball off the line, marking their second consecutive clean sheet.
Barca have now scored seven goals and conceded none in two games since their 3-1 defeat in El Clasico.
Here is how Twitter reacted to Barca’s strong win against Athletic Club:
Barcelona will face a tough test next as they take on Bayern Munich at home in the UEFA Champions League on October 26. Anything less than a win will see them drop down into the UEFA Europa League for the second consecutive season.