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Journalism of Courage
Ferran Torres struck twice as Barcelona marked their long-awaited return to their Camp Nou Stadium with an emphatic 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Barca climbed to the top of the LaLiga standings on 31 points, level with Real Madrid, who face Elche on Sunday.
This was Barcelona’s first match at Camp Nou in 909 days, as the partially renovated stadium welcomed fans back after two and a half years of redevelopment.
The ground is currently operating at a reduced capacity of 45,401, significantly lower than the anticipated 105,000 seats planned upon the project’s completion.
The crowd witnessed a dominant display by the home side in an emotional homecoming, creating a lively atmosphere that ended with fireworks following the final whistle.
Robert Lewandowski set the tone early, capitalising on an error in Athletic’s defence in the fourth minute. Alex Berenger mishandled the ball while attempting to play out from the back, allowing the Polish striker to seize possession and fire a low effort past Unai Simon at the near post.
Barcelona maintained control throughout, relentlessly pressuring an out-of-form Athletic side. Ernesto Valverde’s charges have only managed three wins since September, losing six of their last nine league fixtures.
Eighth in the table with 17 points, Athletic rarely threatened the hosts.
Barcelona struck again in first-half stoppage time. Lamine Yamal’s expertly delivered long ball into space found Torres and the Spanish forward took the pass perfectly in his stride, raced into the area and calmly slotted past Simon.
Three minutes into the second half, Barcelona punished another defensive lapse by Athletic. Attempting to play out from the back, the visitors gifted possession to the alert Fermin Lopez, who rifled a bullet strike into the net.
Athletic’s frustrations boiled over when Oihan Sancet was sent off with a straight red card in the 53rd minute following a reckless challenge on Lopez.
In the closing stages, Torres added his second, rounding off another counter-attack set up by the 18-year-old Yamal who provided a second sublime assist.
“Coming back to the Camp Nou is a special day,” Lewandowski told DAZN.
“We’re very happy and pleased. For returning with a win. We played very well. Two goals in each half…
To be honest, it’s different when we play here. We gain in confidence.
“I’m 37 years old, but it was also special for me to play here again. Even better to score a goal.”
The 45,000 fans who were allowed to attend Camp Nou on Saturday for the Spanish league game against Athletic Bilbao belted out the club hymn before kickoff amid a celebratory vibe despite the chilly weather. Since May 2023, the venue has been shut for a major overhaul that the indebted club hopes will soon start boosting revenues. For the past 900 days, Barcelona played its home games at the municipally owned 55,000-seat Olympic Stadium located atop a hill overlooking the city.
There is still significant work before the new-look Camp Nou is finished and ready to hold 105,000 fans. The top tier remains mostly a skeleton of metal and concrete beams and pillars; huge construction cranes loom over the stadium and are visible from the stands, and there are areas that look like a construction site. But Barcelona still celebrated the day with fireworks followed by blue-and-burgundy smoke just minutes before the game.
“It has been two years at the (Olympic Stadium) and it wasn’t easy, the atmosphere wasn’t the same, you could tell it wasn’t Camp Nou,” a 36-year-old fan Carlos Narváez told AP. “This is like coming home. I am sure the players will feel that way, just like we fans do. You can see how excited everyone is.”
Work on upgrading Camp Nou began in June 2023 to repair, modernize and expand a venue that previously had a capacity of 99,000. The highly indebted club secured 1.45 billion euros (then $1.6 billion) from multiple investors to undertake the remodeling project.
Barcelona had originally planned to be back playing games at Camp Nou as early as November 2024 to coincide with the club’s 125th anniversary. But the date was pushed back several times, and the club has not said when it now expects the stadiium work to be completed. The club says it plans to seek permission from authorities to open more seating as work progresses.
Earlier this month, over 20,000 fans turned out to watch Barcelona’s first practice back at Camp Nou. Barcelona also received authorization from UEFA this week to host Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou on Dec. 9 in the league phase of the Champions League
With Reuters & AP inputs
