Barcelona started La Liga 2021-22 with a 4-2 victory over Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou, in the first game after Lionel Messi departure to Paris Saint-Germain. Martin Braithwaite was the star of the night after scoring a brace for the 20,284 fans who went to the stadium on Saturday. But Real Sociedad almost put Barca in trouble in the second half.
It was Gerard Piqué who scored the first goal of the season for Barcelona, one day after it was reported that the defender agreed to a salary cut to help the club register the new signings of Eric García, who debuted; Memphis Depay and Rey Manaj.
Ronald Koeman’s team started the game very well with a solid performance, but as has been usual in the last seasons, Barcelona lowered their level in the second half, and Real Sociedad almost got their reward. Julen Lobete Cienfuegos and Mikel Oyarzabal made the 3-2 ten minutes before the start, but Sergi Roberto appeared to give Barca some tranquility.
Barcelona fans divided for Messi’s departure
While Barcelona had a solid debut in La Liga, fans don’t forget Lionel Messi, who has already been presented as a new PSG player. Some fans held signs outside the Camp Nou criticizing President Joan Laporta for letting the Argentinian go.
However, some fans are not happy with Messi’s decision to leave the club and sign with PSG. In the 10th minute of the match, many supporters chanted Messi’s name as a tribute to their former star, however others also booed.
On Twitter, though, many Barcelona supporters wanted to see the bright side of things, making jokes about how Braithwaite will be the new GOAT, celebrating Gerard Piqué compromise with the club and asking Koeman to, please, “free Pedri” and give the 19 year old a break. Here, check out the funniest memes and reactions:
It seems like Barcelona has good sensations to take from the match, like the connection between Memphis and Braithwaite, the good game from Erik García, Pedri and Frenkie De Jong level. However, they still have to figure out how to maintain their advantage in the second half.
