2023-09-16 22:54:17
BarcelonaThose who made the effort to climb Montjuïc came down euphoric. As if they had attended an impromptu St. John’s party in the stadium to celebrate the talent of two Johns. Joãos, in this case. Barça returned to the Olympics almost a month after defeating Cadiz with the Joãos, Cancelo and Félix, entering through the Olympic gate of the stadium, as the winners of the marathons did. What a party, his. It was opened by one and closed by the other, in a choral thrashing by a hungry team. A Barça where Ferran Torres shouted, or complained, to be the protagonist. Let the enemy tremble, then. Xavi’s team played one of the best matches since the arrival of the coach from Valais and played with a beaten Betis (5-0). Barça didn’t even remember that you can also win without suffering. What a sweet feeling, that.
Barça needed a game like this. He needed João Félix, after so many sad years in Madrid, unable to get along with Simeone. And Lewandowski needed to keep scoring goals and take a step forward. Ferran Torres needed to start and score. Barça needed to remember that you don’t need to have Messi to score goals from direct free kicks. Raphinha needed to score, despite being a substitute, to lift his head. João Cancelo needed to debut like this at home, with character, playing almost from inside, looking for corridors in the middle and scoring a beautiful goal at the end. The party was Blaugrana. The party of the dos Joãos, who with their special Sant Joan revelry managed to make us forget that Xavi Hernández, as if he were Cruyff, had decided to leave Lamine Yamal on the bench to rest. And so that you don’t think that everything will be flowers and violets.
It was the first game after that frantic end of the transfer market. And for the moment the team proved the sporting direction right. True, it was just one taste of a calendar that is on the rise, but Cancelo felt like he had spent his whole life playing for Blaugrana. It wasn’t just the goal. It was the game reading, the character and some technical details, like cassocks and game changes. João Félix, on the other hand, started a little shy, but when he touched the ball he made a difference. It was plugged in, well accompanied. He scored the first in a shot from almost no angle after a recovery by Oriol Romeu. And then he also made the difference without touching the ball, when Christensen’s vertical pass in the heart of the Betic area was smart enough to let it pass to Lewandowski, who beat Rui Silva. Third goal from the Pole, who took a step forward accompanied by Ferran on the right and Félix on the left. The goal reinforced the convictions of the young Portuguese, who ended up having as much weight in the game as a Ferran Torres who finally started. It was up to the Valencian to open up the field on the right, as Cancelo was flying in behind him, who was approaching the midfielders generating superiority that took a faded Betis out of the loop.
It was an almost round game, despite some defensive mistakes that Betis failed to convert, such as Ter Stegen’s great save on Willian José just before the break. There is no game in which the German goalkeeper does not become the patron saint of Barcelona, protecting the home goal with his hands. With a lot of old Blaugrana acquaintances in the team – such as Bellerín, Bartra, Chadi Riad and the young Catalan Sergi Altimira, son of Aureli Altimira, who had been in the coaching staff of Guardiola and Vilanova -, Betis broke every time Barça speeded up the game. Oriol Romeu provided the balance, Christensen was more aggressive than ever gaining meters and for a day people forgot that they were playing without the injured Pedri. Blessed Xavi will have a problem when he recovers. Nor will it be easy to decide who plays each day in attack. If Lamine was already doing well, Ferran and Félix raised the level.
And finally, a free goal
It was noticed that Xavi had taken advantage of the national team break to think about how to play with the two Portuguese. De Jong and Romeu were always very close together, while Gavi ran more freely. A 4-3-3 that wasn’t, since in the background he commanded the movement. That’s what it’s all about, always being on the move. In the second half, Betis, who had the misfortune of losing goalkeeper Rui Silva to injury, became smaller. And Ferran Torres punished him by making it 3-0 with Barça’s first free-kick goal since… Leo Messi.
But the party was not over. Barça is hungry, a good sign. Xavi introduced Raphinha, Gündogan and the dwarf, Lamine Yamal. And the Brazilian scored the fourth in the first ball he touched. The last one would be Cancelo’s, in an individual play. Betis were lucky not to concede more goals from a team that had fun playing. After a slow start to the League, Barça got wings. The Barça of the Valencian shark and the Joãos, of the youngsters who demand a way and, little by little, of the defensive order. There are reasons to dream. Carefully, of course.
FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen, João Cancelo, Kounde, Christensen (Iñigo Martínez, 76′), Balde (Marcos Alonso, 76′), Oriol Romeu (Gündogan, 64′), Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Ferran Torres (Raphinha, 64 ‘), Lewandowski and João Félix (Lamine Yamal, 64′). Betis: Rui Silva (Fran Vietes, 46′), Bellerín, Bartra, Chadi Riad, Miranda, Sergi Altimira, Marc Roca (Guido Rodríguez, 66′), Luiz Henrique (Ez Abde, 46′), Isco (Rodri, 66′ ), Ayoze (Juan Cruz, 66′) and Willian José. Goals: 1-0 João Félix (25′), 2-0 Lewandowski (32′), 3-0 Ferran Torres (62′), 4-0 Raphinha (66′) and 5-0 João Cancelo (81′). Referee: Sánchez Martínez (Murcia). Yellow cards: Marc Bartra (72′), Guido Rodríguez (84′) and Iñigo Martínez (86’). Red cards: None. Stadium: Olímpic de Montjuïc Lluís Companys, 45,055 spectators.
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