Barça beat Forest on Raphinha penalty but lose triangular to Udinese in Udine
FC Barcelona beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 on a Raphinha penalty but fell 1-0 to Udinese in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup, a three-team preseason triangular played in Udine on 8 August 2026.
Triangular format returns
FC Barcelona closed the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup with a defeat in Udine, a three-team tournament played over two 45-minute matches on 8 August 2026. The format, a throwback to the 1990s that Barça had not experienced in 24 years, allowed Hansi Flick to distribute minutes across a squad still missing roughly ten first-team players, including those returning from the World Cup. Before the first match, a moment of remembrance was held for Jorge Messi, father of Lionel Messi, who had died the previous day.
Barça edge Forest on penalty
Barcelona faced Nottingham Forest first and won 1-0 through a Raphinha penalty in the final minute, provoked by Fermín López inside the area. Forest, managed by Oliver Glasner, had created the better chances: Igor Jesus headed over early, Morgan Gibbs-White struck the crossbar, N'Doye missed a one-on-one with Szczesny, and Igor Jesus headed wide again. Bryan Fariñas hit the post for Barça with a shot from the edge of the box. The English side's high pressing forced Barça to spend much of the first quarter pinned in their own half. Flick started Szczesny, Espart, Christensen, Gerard Martín, Pesquer, Fermín, Bernal, Fariñas, Adeyemi, Abdelkarim and Raphinha. The match marked the return of Fermín López, recovered from a fifth-metacarpal injury that had kept him out of the World Cup, and Raphinha, back from a World Cup injury.
Udinese claim the trophy
Udinese had already beaten Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the tournament's opening match, meaning the Barça-Udinese clash decided the trophy. Flick kept nearly the same starting eleven, withdrawing only Fermín and Raphinha, both short on fitness after their respective injuries. Their places went to 16-year-old Ebrima Tunkara and 18-year-old Shane Kluivert. At the quarter-hour, five more substitutions arrived: Héctor Fort, Álvaro Cortés, Alejandro Balde, Orian Goren and Jesse Bisiwu, the Belgian making his debut. Barça monopolised possession against a deep-lying Udinese but lacked penetration and speed in the final pass. Christensen headed wide from a corner, one of the few occasions. In the last minute, Vakoun Bayo broke clear on a counter-attack, connecting with a Gueye cross to chip Szczesny and secure the 1-0 win. Szczesny was the only player to feature across both 45-minute halves.
- Udinese beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the opening match of the triangular
- Barça beat Nottingham Forest 1-0, Raphinha converting a penalty won by Fermín in the final minute
- Udinese beat Barça 1-0, Vakoun Bayo scoring on a counter-attack in the last minute to retain the trophy
Preseason continues
The defeat leaves Flick's side still searching for rhythm. Two friendlies remain before La Liga begins in two weeks: FC Basel at St. Jakob-Park on Sunday 16 August at 16:30, and the Joan Gamper Trophy against Al-Ahly. A planned friendly in Tangier was cancelled due to what El Periódico described as the unstable relationship between Spain and Morocco. João Cancelo has still not been signed, and Ferran Torres may not rejoin the squad at Sant Joan Despí. The previous week's friendly against Birmingham ended 2-2.
