Barcelona secured their second consecutive win in the new La Liga season by defeating Athletic Club 2-0 at Camp Nou. Raphinha opened the scoring in the 37th minute, and Fermin Lopez sealed the victory in the 82nd minute.
Raphinha continued his impressive form, playing as the highest forward. He has scored three goals in the first two matches, while Barcelona are still searching for a specialist striker before the transfer window closes.
Raphinha's goal came from a pass that sliced through the defense from Pedri. The Brazilian accelerated past goalkeeper Unai Simon before slotting the ball into an empty net. Earlier, he had hit the post with a header in the 24th minute from a cross by left-back Xavi Espart.
In the 82nd minute, the win was sealed when Aymeric Laporte made a serious error while attempting to clear a cross from Karim Adeyemi. Fermin quickly pounced to fire past Simon from close range.
Coach Hansi Flick made three changes from the side that beat Elche 5-0 in the opener, handing starts to Anthony Gordon, Pau Cubarsi, and Pedri. New signing Rodri was on the bench and came on in the 62nd minute for his debut.
Goalkeeper Unai Simon was one of the few bright spots for the visitors, making several crucial saves, including a brilliant one-handed stop from Lamine Yamal's shot in the 18th minute and a close-range save from the same player just before halftime.
Barcelona continued to dominate in the second half. Lamine Yamal hit the crossbar in the 53rd minute. For Athletic Club, Oihan Sancet struck the post from outside the box in the 75th minute.
With this victory, Barcelona have six points from two matches, level with Real Madrid, Betis, and Sevilla at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Athletic Club and Real Sociedad have yet to pick up a point.
