Barcelona began their La Liga season under new head coach Hansi Flick with a hard-fought victory at Valencia. Despite an early setback, Flick’s team showed resilience and quality to secure three points on the road.
Former Germany manager Flick saw his side fall behind late in the first half when Hugo Duro capitalized on a precise cross from Diego Lopez to slot the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. It was a quiet opening half, but Duro’s goal just before the break sparked the match into life. Before the whistle, Duro nearly doubled his tally, only to see his effort cleared off the line. Moments later, Robert Lewandowski finished off a well-delivered pass from Lamine Yamal to restore parity.
Lewandowski Leads Barcelona’s Comeback
Valencia had shown promise in the first half, but Barcelona came out stronger after the interval. The decisive moment came just four minutes into the second half when Raphinha was fouled in the box, leading to a penalty. Lewandowski coolly slotted home the spot-kick to give his side the lead, making it two goals for the veteran striker.
Barcelona’s dominance became more evident as the game progressed. Yamal, the 17-year-old talent, was a constant danger on the wings, using his dribbling skills to torment the Valencia defense. The young winger’s performance highlighted his potential as a future star, giving the opposition plenty of problems throughout the match.
Valencia’s Efforts Fall Short
Despite the setback, Valencia remained a threat on the counter-attack, especially exploiting some careless moments from Barcelona’s midfield. The hosts posed questions of the Barcelona defense but ultimately lacked the cutting edge to equalize. Flick’s side, on the other hand, managed the latter stages of the match well, keeping their opponents at bay.
Barcelona, who finished second in the league last season, will now look ahead to their upcoming clash with Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, 24 August, hoping to build on this positive start under their new manager.
