Hamza Abdelkarim reacts after scoring twice in Barcelona preseason clash with Birmingham | OneFootball

FC Barcelona played their first game in England, which was a part of their preseason tour, yesterday, as they faced Birmingham City. Hansi Flick was still without most of his players who had participated in the World Cup, and thus several youngsters got the chance to showcase their talent on the pitch.

One such youngster who took full advantage of this opportunity was the forward Hamza Abdelkarim, who scored both goals for his side. However, his two goals were not enough to get his team a win, as the Blaugranes fell to a defeat in penalty shootout after the game ended with a 2-2 draw.

Still, his performance was very encouraging. His first goal came from a penalty that he himself won, and the second from a rebound from a Roony Bardghji shot that was saved by the goalkeeper.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Egyptian forward also talked to the media after the game, and expressed his happiness with his two goals scored in this match:

“It has been incredible, of course. I am very happy, and I hope that the team and I can continue working and improving in every match… Birmingham were a tough team; they were physical, and that was noticeable on the pitch.”

Meanwhile, despite the defeat, Abdelkarim was also satisfied with his team’s performance, and believed Barcelona will continue to improve going forward:

“We are improving with every match… We are still a young team, so we are getting to know each other better on the pitch, and that is creating confidence throughout the entire team… Hopefully, there will be more of this.”

With this performance, the young forward has made a very strong case for more opportunities with the first team in the upcoming friendlies of the preseason as well. If he is able to maintain his form in these upcoming games, it would not really be a surprise to see him being a notable part of Hansi Flick’s plans for the next season, especially as Barcelona have still not been able to land a replacement for Robert Lewandowski.