Barcelona defeat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 with goals from Raphinha and Fermin Lopez

First-half chances and Raphinha opener

Barcelona secured a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in their rescheduled opening round fixture at the partially rebuilt Spotify Camp Nou on Thursday, August 27, 2026. Manager Hansi Flick made three adjustments to the starting lineup that defeated Elche 5-0 the previous weekend. Anthony Gordon earned his first start for the club, while Pedri entered the midfield and Pau Cubarsi started in central defence. Flick retained Raphinha in a central attacking role following the summer departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, as Atletico Madrid refused to negotiate a deal for striker Julian Alvarez.

Barcelona dictated play early against an Athletic lineup featuring Spain internationals Unai Simon, Aymeric Laporte, and Nico Williams. In the 19th minute, Simon denied an effort from Lamine Yamal, who continues to manage his minutes after an April hamstring injury. Raphinha then headed against the post from a Xavi Espart cross in the 24th minute, and Pedri saw a 29th-minute goal disallowed due to an offside call. The opening goal arrived in the 37th minute when Pedri slid a through ball past the Basque backline, allowing Raphinha to round Simon and finish into an empty net. Simon made another point-blank save against Yamal in the 41st minute to prevent a two-goal deficit before the break.

Second-half control and Rodri debut

Athletic Bilbao created few scoring chances in the opening 45 minutes, with Nico Williams dragging a shot wide from outside the penalty area before half-time. Barcelona continued to push forward after the interval. Gordon sent a shot over the crossbar from inside the penalty area, while Yamal struck the crossbar from distance. Simon remained active in the Athletic goal, turning away two attempts from midfielder Fermin Lopez.

In the 63rd minute, Flick brought on new signing Rodri to replace Raphinha in midfield. The Spain international joined Barcelona from Manchester City for a 65 million pound transfer fee after winning the Golden Ball at the 2026 World Cup. The substitution left Barcelona with ten Spanish players on the pitch alongside Gordon. Athletic produced a rare attacking threat moments later when midfielder Oihan Sancet struck the post on a counter-attack.

Late Lopez goal and league standings

Barcelona confirmed the win with an 82nd-minute strike from Fermin Lopez. Athletic defender Aymeric Laporte committed a defensive mistake near the penalty area, enabling Lopez to gather the ball and score from close range. The finish represented Lopez's third league goal of the season, adding to his two goals against Elche.

The result places Barcelona at the top of La Liga with six points and a plus seven goal difference from two matches. Real Madrid also hold six points with a plus four goal difference following a hat-trick by Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday, August 26. Sevilla and Real Betis sit on six points as well, while Athletic Bilbao have lost both of their opening two league matches.