After two years and five months, Barcelona returned home to the mythical Camp Nou, which had been closed for extensive renovations. Hansi Flick’s teams were determined not to disappoint in the stadium’s grand reopening, dominating Athletic Club for a 4-0 victory, as the visitors struggled to cope.
It did not take long for Robert Lewandowski to score the first goal in the era of the new Camp Nou, as the Polish striker put Barcelona ahead just four minutes into the match. After dominating the entire first half, Ferran Torres extended the lead just before the halftime whistle, delivering a major blow to the visiting team who had been holding their own.
The second half proved even worse for Athletic Club, as Fermín López scored the third goal just three minutes in, leaving the visiting side with little hope. The situation worsened for Bilbao five minutes later, when, following a hard foul by Oihan Sancet on Lopez, the referee showed him the red card.
To deliver the final blow, Ferran Torres scored again late in the match, setting the final score at 4-0. With the victory, Barcelona pulled level with Real Madrid at 31 points, although Los Blancos play their match tomorrow against Elche and can regain a lead over their rivals.
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Barcelona dominated Athletic Club on Matchday 13 of 2025-26 LaLiga and you lived every moment of this game here.
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End of the game!
Barcelona beat Athletic Club 4-0 at Camp Nou's reopening!
89'- GOAAAAAAL OF BARCELONA!!! (4-0)
Ferran Torres scores a great goal with another fantatisc assist from Yamal!!
🚨🇪🇸 FERRAN TORRES MAKES IT FOUR FOR BARCELONA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ASSIST FROM LAMINE YAMAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
23'- Ferran Torres scores... but the referee rules offside (1-0)
Torres had scored a great goal to extend Barcelona's lead, but he was in an offside position.
19'- Lopez misses a huge chance! (1-0)
After a magnific assist by Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez had the second goal on his feet but Unai Simon saved Athletic Club!
18'- The match evens out (1-0)
Following a strong start where it appeared Barcelona might dominate the contest, Bilbao have managed to establish themselves, and the match is now much more even.
11'- Williams with Bilbao's first chance! (1-0)
Nico Williams had the first chance for the visiting team, but his shot went wide of Joan García's goal.
4'- GOAAAAAL OF BARCELONA!!! (1-0)
Robert Lewandowski scores the first goal at the new Camp Nou!!
Barcelona and Athletic Club are playing at Camp Nou!
Players are on the pitch!
Players from both teams are on the pitch doing warm-up activities. The game will begin in a few minutes!
Barcelona debut the new Camp Nou
The remodeling of Camp Nou is valued at €1.45 billion (approximately $1.58 billion USD). While the renovations are not yet fully complete, the stadium already showcases part of the transformations that will convert the venue into one of the most modern in the world.
Tonight's contest will mark the partial reopening of the stadium, which will be accessible to 62,000 spectators. Barcelona's management anticipates that the full construction will be finalized in August 2026, at which point the total capacity will increase to 105,000 people.
Athletic Club's lineup confirmed!
Unai Simon; Andoni Gorosabel, Dani Vivian, Aymeric Laporte, Yuri Berchiche; Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Mikel Jauregizar; Alex Berenguer, Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams; Unai Gomez.
Hansi Flick have had to reconfigure their midfield for this match, as they will be without the talented Frenkie de Jong, as the Dutchman was sent off late in the contest against Celta Vigo. This presents a major problem for the German coach, who is already unable to rely on Pedri and Gavi, as the Spanish midfielders are both injured.
Today’s referee
Spanish referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez has been appointed to officiate the LaLiga match between Barcelona and Atheltic Club.
The full officiating team for today's game:
Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez (SPA)
Assistant Referee 1: Raul Cabañero (SPA)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Jose Lopez (SPA)
Fourth Official: Juan Manuel Gordillo (SPA)
VAR: Daniel Jesus Trujillo Suarez (SPA)
Kick off time and where to watch
The clash between Barcelona and Athletic Club will kick off at 10:15 AM (ET).
Gianni Taina is a bilingual journalist fluent in English and Spanish who specializes in soccer, the NBA, and tennis. He joined World Soccer Talk in 2026, where he covers breaking news, produces original stories, and provides live coverage of major soccer events for a U.S. audience. Before joining World Soccer Talk, Gianni worked at Bolavip US, where he covered a wide range of sports and contributed original reporting and real-time coverage of high-profile events. He began his professional journalism career in 2020 at Mundo Deportivo US, where he first established himself as a sports writer. Known for his ability to react quickly to breaking news and perform under pressure, Gianni has become a valuable member of the editorial team.
