Barcelona crush Athletic 4-0 on emotional Camp Nou return | OneFootball

Barcelona marked their return to Camp Nou with a rampant 4-0 victory over Athletic Club on Saturday.

The atmosphere was celebratory before kick-off, and Barca quickly overwhelmed their visitors.

Robert Lewandowski set the tone with a fourth-minute opener after Athletic failed to clear their lines.

The early goal shaped the pattern of the match, with Barcelona pressing high, circulating the ball and forcing Athletic into repeated errors.

Athletic tried to respond, but their threat was limited to occasional breaks from Nico Williams and a pair of half-chances for Unai Gomez.

Barcelona carried far more conviction, and they should have doubled the lead earlier when Ferran Torres had an effort ruled out for offside. He did not have to wait long to make amends.

Lamine Yamal split the defence with an outstanding long pass, and Torres gathered it cleanly before sliding a composed finish under Simon. Barcelona’s dominance continued into the second half.

Within three minutes of the restart, the hosts capitalised on another poor sequence of play from Athletic’s backline, with Fermin Lopez collecting a loose ball and driving a fierce effort into the top corner.

Athletic’s frustration boiled over soon afterwards when Oihan Sancet received a straight red card for a reckless tackle on Lopez, ending any faint hope of a comeback.

Barcelona controlled the tempo and looked increasingly comfortable. Substitute Raphinha grazed the post on his return to action, and Yamal continued to stretch Athletic with his pace and vision.

The fourth goal arrived in the closing moments as Torres finished off another move initiated by Yamal, whose second assist of the evening highlighted his growing influence.

The victory lifted Barcelona level with Real Madrid and added weight to the belief that returning to Camp Nou will give them an additional edge in the title race.

The stadium may still be under construction, but the effect of being back was unmistakable.

The noise, confidence and energy inside the ground reflected a club reconnecting with its identity, and the performance on the pitch made the homecoming feel complete.