- Youngster Fermin Lopez stole the day with his performance in a match that saw Marcus Rashford record his first league assist since joining Barcelona in the summer
- Hansi Flick’s side are currently second on La Liga standings with ten points after four matches
La Liga giants FC Barcelona ran riot on Sunday, thumping Valencia 6-0 at Estadi Johan Cruyff. Youngster Fermin Lopez stole the day with his performance in a match that saw Marcus Rashford record his first league assist since joining Barcelona in the summer.
Lopez, who was linked to English Premier League side Chelsea during the summer transfer window, gave Barca the lead in the first half with a stunning finish. The 22-year-old struck the opener in the 29th minute after being found in the box by Ferran Torres.
ALSO READ: Premier League: Manchester City beat Manchester United 3-0
Half-time substitute Raphinha then doubled Barcelona’s lead shortly after the restart following a brilliant cross from loan player Marcus Rashford. Lopez extinguished any hopes Valencia had of finding a way back into the match in the 56th minute when he fired home from outside the box to make it 3-0.
Raphinha, who was not fit enough to start the game, then showed individual brilliance after controlling Marc Casado’s long pass to make it 4-0 in the 66th minute. Robert Lewandowski then got the job done as he scored two goals in the last minutes of the game. His sixth goal was initially disallowed but the referee changed his mind following a video assistant referee review.
Barcelona could have won the match by a huge margin but would still be glad with the 6-0 win. Hansi Flick’s side are currently second on La Liga standings with ten points after four matches. The top spot is occupied by Real Madrid who have won all their first four matches of the 2025-26 La Liga season.
The Blaugrana’s played the home game against Valencia at their Team B’s venue as the Camp Nou is not ready for use after renovations. Estadi Johan Cruyff has a capacity of 6,000.
Barca were allowed to play their first three matches of the season away from home in order to allow enough time for completion of construction work of the iconic Camp Nou. However, the club hadn’t obtained the necessary documents to allow it to open on Sunday.
Barcelona last played at Camp Nou in May 2023 and were expecting to be back in November 2024 to coincide with the club’s 125th anniversary. They have been using the Olympic Stadium for the past two seasons but the venue was booked for Post Marlone’s concert on Tuesday hence ruling it out for use on Sunday.
Flick Frustrated With Spain’s Handling Of Lamine Yamal
Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal missed his side’s 6-0 win over Valencia due to an injury. The 18-year-old suffered a groin injury while on international duty and Barca were not happy with how Spain handled the issue.
Yamal played 79 and 73 minutes in Spain’s fixtures despite reporting discomfort. Surprisingly, he did not train in between the fixtures because of the injury.
ALSO READ: Lamine Yamal new contract salary: How much will he earn?
Hansi Flick criticized Spain for making Yamal play with injury saying that’s not how they should handle players.
“He went to the national team with pain and they gave him painkillers so he could play. He was on the pitch for more than 70 minutes in each match, even with a three-goal lead. That’s not looking after the players. I never spoke (with Spain national team head coach Luis de la Fuente; I have had one conversation via text but I never spoke with him.” The Playoffs quotes Hansi Flick.
