Barcelona did not win a game for the first time without Messi

Barcelona draw 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao after a very bad match. It was the first game since Lionel Messi’s departure that Barcelona did not win.

After Messi’s departure Barcelona played two matches. The first one was won 4:2, with a great performance by Braithwaite, who scored 2 goals and added an assist.This time no one from the Catalans showed up and Barcelona only drew 1:1. The question of whether they can do it without Lionel Messi is still up in the air.

The first half was goalless. Inigo Martínez opened the scoring in the second half. Then Memphis Depay, a new signing for Barcelona, equalised. It was his first competitive goal in his new jersey. No further goals were scored. Eric García made his mark in the statistics, receiving a red card in injury time.

Barcelona clearly won possession of the ball, having it in their possession for 68% of the game. Bilbao, on the other hand, won the shooting. Its players recorded 16 shots, 7 of which were on target. The Catalans had nine shots, with only one on target.

This is only the second game of the Spanish La Liga and Barcelona have already lost points. It remains in first place for now, but tomorrow several teams could surpass it. Among those teams are Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.

In the next match Barcelona will challenge Getafe, where the Czech midfielder Jakub Jankto has newly transferred. The match will take place on Sunday 29 August. In this match Barcelona will again be the favourite, so let’s see if they can fulfil this role.

Athletic Bilbao’s next match will be played a day earlier, on 28 August. Bilbao will play Celta Vigo.

Livesport