Party at Camp Nou: Barça returns home with a goal and provisional leadership

(AFP) After two and a half years of exile due to the extensive reconstruction of its stadium, FC Barcelona celebrated its return to Camp Nou, which is still under construction, with a 4-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the 13th round of the Spanish LaLiga.

The azulgrana team also takes provisional leader of the standings with 31 points, the same as Real Madrid, who visit newly promoted Elche (12th) on Sunday.

Before that game, Barça had a better goal difference (+21 vs. +16) over its eternal top rival.

It was a festive afternoon for the Barça fans, who, instead of going to the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic as they had become accustomed to, were able to head to their historic home, Camp Nou, which was partially reopened.

In front of just over 45,000 spectators, Hansi Flick's players got a slight taste of what they will experience in the future, when the stadium is fully completed - expected by mid-2027 - and has a capacity of 105,000.

"For everyone it was a special match. For the players, for the coaching staff, for the coaches and for the fans, to come back to this stadium is incredible. I'm happy because we kept a clean sheet, scored four goals and got three points. A perfect day for us," Flick celebrated after the match.

Raphinha returns

Barça dominated the Lions from the start, preventing the Basques from spoiling the evening.

At the age of 37, Poland's Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 4th minute with a left-footed shot inside the box and before the break, in the 45+3, Ferran Torres gave his side peace of mind by beating Unai Simon with a golden assist from Lamine Yamal.

"I'm happy to score the first goal after returning to Camp Nou. I will remember that goal forever," Lewandowski assured.

At the start of the second half, Fermín López made no mistake in a one-on-one against the visiting goalkeeper (48') and the second half was a walkover for the home side, who put the fourth and definitive already in the 90th minute, when Ferran Torres scored, again assisted by Yamal.

In the last minutes, with everything decided, Flick also decided to bring on Brazilian attacker Raphinha, who received a standing ovation on his return to the competition after two months on the sidelines.

It was Barcelona's first clean sweep since September.

Athletic, eighth and out of the European places, played much of the second half a man down due to the dismissal of Oihan Sancet in the 54th minute.

Barcelona therefore returned to their stadium with a rout, just as they had bid farewell to it in May 2023, when they overcame Mallorca 3-0.

Fireworks

Saturday's match was accompanied by musical performances and a fireworks display to celebrate the long-awaited return to Camp Nou, which has been delayed several times in recent months.

After this match, the two teams face Champions League fixtures next week: Barça visits Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, while Athletic plays away against Slavia Prague on the same day.

Two points behind Barça and Real Madrid are Villarreal (3rd), who in Saturday's last game beat Mallorca (16th) 2-1 in a match that was evenly matched until Canada's Tani Oluwaseyi gave the yellow team the win in the 83rd minute.

In Saturday's first match, a penalty goal by Iago Aspas (55') gave the victory to Celta Vigo (11th) at Alaves (13th), giving the Galicians more peace of mind after their poor start to the season.

In a neighboring duel, Real Sociedad (10th) emerged victorious 3-1 from their visit to Osasuna (17th), who are just one point above the relegation zone.