Full-time! Athletic 0-1 Barcelona
90 min +3: Luis Suárez misses an open goal but, no matter, it’s full time! That’s Luis Enrique’s 100th win in charge of Barça, coming courtesy of Ivan Rakitic’s first half header. Thanks for reading. Until next time …
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90 min +1: Laporte fouls Messi on the right near halfway, allowing the visitors to use up some of the remaining time.
90 min: There will be three minutes added time.
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90 min: This is embarrassing from Muniain, who makes a ludicrous attempt at buying a penalty off Rakitic. The referee plays on, though it should be a free out for simulation. Williams and Balenziaga are booked for protesting too much.
89 min: Athletic, mostly through Beñat, are trying to find a hold in Barça’s defence.
87 min: Balenziaga earns a corner for Beñat to swing in but Roberto boots away.
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85 min: Now Garcia cons Mascherano into a foul 24m from goal. Beñat takes it and is six inches from curling it into Ter Stegen’s left corner.
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83 min: Beñat is booked for a foul on Messi in the centre circle. And Rafinha then replaces Turan before it’s taken by Busquets.
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81 min: But that leaves Barça with more space to break into. Roberto zooms down the right and finds Suárez. He turns two Athletic defenders but eventually shoots wide.
79 min: Athletic are pressing a lot higher now in search of an equaliser.
76 min: Athletic’s final change sees Muniain replace Susaeta.
74 min: Messi wins a corner off Balenziaga following a tasty physical battle, shouldering and jostling towards the endline. The delivery comes of nothing
And email from Justin Kavanagh about Ray Hudson: “JR in Illinois asking Ray Hudson to think about what he’s saying, man, is like asking Donald Trump to put policies to his rhetoric. They are both as deep into the realms of freeform BS as Messi is into the art of freeform football! What? Oh sorry, Ray, that should have been “magisterial Messi, the Argentine magician!”
71 min: A double change for Barca now as Umtiti and Denis Suárez make way for Mascherano and Gomes.
70 min: Messi is played in by Suárez, who was unselfish and could have shot himself, but the Argentinean blasts over with a strike off his right foot.
66 min: And now Williams, following good build up from Williams and Garcia, shoots a Ter Stegen. Athletic are beginning to up the ante but must be wary of committing too many forward.
65 min: Garcia pulls a low shot wide from the edge of the box.
64 min: Aduriz goes down under pressure from Busquets inside the area but the referee waves play on. Mike Dean would have given it.
62 min: A double change for Athletic. Eraso is booked for a tug on Rakitic and is replaced by Garcia immediately, while Iturraspe is off for Vesga.
60 min: Messi has been quiet for the most part, so expect him to score soon.
57 min: Barça are blistering on the counter. Roberto sets Rakitic away down the right. The goalscorer crosses deep to Suárez, who attempts to break the net with a volley but sends his effort across goal and a couple of inches wide. If it went in …
55 min: Williams sends a loose pass to Busquets, who is then dragged down by Iturraspe.
52 min: Barça win a corner, which is flung in by Rakitic. Piqué rises near the penalty spot but cannot find the target and then goes down injured. The home support whistle and jeer.
49 min: Barça are now playing with a back three. Alba has joined the left side of midfield, which is interesting seeing as Turan had so much space on that side during the first half.
48 min: There are 46,365 inside San Mames, if you’re into attendaces and that.
47 min: Athletic win a corner. Beñat sends it in again. Laporte climbs above Piqué but heads over.
Off we go
46 min: Athletic restart, the rain has stopped and there have been no changes.
JR in Illinois emails: “As with most Barcelona games on TV here in the U.S. we’ve got Ray Hudson as one of the commentators. I like to make note of the many absurd things he says. Today’s first entry is from just after the ref booked Busquets and Suarez. Hudson said the ref was ‘Giving out yellow cards like speeding tickets in the Indy 500.’ Now I may be mistaken but it’s my understanding they don’t give out speeding tickets in the Indy 500. Oh Ray! Think about what you’re saying, man.
And Charles Antaki: “Turan’s cross for the goal was sublime but apart from that he’s not been very visible. He’s certainly not taken on Iniesta’s share of the twirling and passing, which seems to have been replaced by old-fashioned power-surging. Not very hipster-ish, beard notwithstanding.”
In the first half Ter Stegen had 34 touches, compared to Turan having 19 and Suárez just 16.
Half-time! Athletic 0-1 Barcelona
Rakitic’s goal is the difference at the break.
45 min: Turan makes a mess of a wonderful opportunity! Messi picks him out with a brilliant through ball but Turan fails to get a clean shot off after taking a touch and can only find the side netting. Really poor from a player who has looked rejuvenated in the early knockings of this season.
43 min: Messi goes down after a tackle from Beñat, who is among the busiest out there. Free kick, nothing more.
41 min: Beñat has a punt from 25 yards out. It’s saved. To quote Andy Townsend, better from Athletic.
40 min: Williams has a shot from long range blocked, allowing Barça to break. Laporte, though, is on hand to make a crucial interception from Luis Suárez. The striker has been subdued here, thanks to Athletic’s highly-rated centre half.
39 min: Aduriz gets a sight of goal from about 20 yards, shooting low to Ter Stegen’s right. The keeper gets down well to save.
37 min: Busquets and Luis Suárez are booked for dissent after the referee gives a free kick to Beñat, who blatantly dived near Denis Suárez. The ref’s back was to play – so gave the free-kick solely on the basis of seeing the midfielder rolling along the floor. Poor.
36 min: Messi swings in a free-kick from deep on the left. It breaks, via Williams, to Umtiti but the centre half snatches at his attempt and the ball zooms well over the bar.
34 min: Actually, almost. Seven thousand clinical passes to feet culminates in Denis Suárez having a tame shot saved.
33 min: They are still passing it about. Is this an attempt to bore Athletic into letting them through at free will?
31 min: Barça are really toying with Athletic here in terms of passing it across the defence but after some teasing play Piqué is forced into hooking the ball out for a throw in. Whatever happened to defenders getting the ball away from their box as fast as possible?
30 min: Turan is finding a lot of space on the left here, with Barça clearly drawing Athletic to the right before switching to the Turkish midfielder.
29 min: The rain is back.
27 min: Denis Suárez draws a foul from De Marcos near halfway.
25 min: Barça play the ball comfortably across the defence to frustrate Athletic and Ter Stegen does not look short of confidence despite his early error.
22 min: It’s such a good goal. Turan is fed on the left of the box and, in acres of space, sends a delightful inswinging cross towards the Croatian, who rises to power past Irazioz. Balenziaga, the left back, failed to track Rakitic but that shouldn’t detract from such a lovely piece of play.
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Goal! Athletic 0-1 Barcelona (Rakitic)
21 min: Just as you think Athletic were looking good.
21 min: The rain, meanwhile, has stopped and the fans are returning to their seats.
20 min: From that Barça break but a cross from the right is deflected by Beñat into the hands of Irazioz. Turan moans at the referee that it was a back pass but play continues.
19 min: Now Williams wins a corner on the right but the delivery from Beñat is too deep again. This is a very good performance from the hosts so far.
18 min: There is rain in Spain. And fans in the lower seats have rushed up the stairs to try and stay dry. It’s not going to strip your skin off, chums.
16 min: Athletic have been the marginally better side so far. Barça have not really had a prolonged spell of possession. Williams sends a low cross in from the right but Ter Stegen smothers.
14 min: A lull.
10 min: What a chance from Beñat and what a mistake from Ter Stegen. The goalkeeper tries to play out from the back but mis-hits and sends the ball straight at the Athletic player. Beñat could compose himself but instead chooses to shoot … straight at the goalkeeper’s chest.
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9 min: And now Umtiti is booked – for handball. Erasso tries to dribble past but the ball comes off the France defender’s left palm and he is shown the card for his second offence in three minutes. It’s from the same area as the first but Beñat overhits this time and Rakitic gets rid after Pique’s initial header.
7 min: Umtiti takes down Williams about 35 yards from Barça’s goal. It’s a foul but does not warrant a card. Beñat sends it in, poorly. Alba heads away.
5 min: Turan has the ball in the net but is flagged for offside after Messi’s crossfield pass to Luis Suárez leads to Athletic playing a perfect trap. Three Barça players in total are off.
4 min: Barça counter down the right. Rakitic feeds Luis Suárez first but the ball deflects back to the Croatian. He then passes to Denis Suárez, who chooses to shoot wide when Turan was free to his left. The wrong choice, but a menacing break nonetheless.
3 min: Beñat’s delivery is headed away by Rakitic and then Laporte concedes a free-kick for a high leg as the ball broke.
3 min: And now Aduriz wins a corner off Umtiti after shrugging off Alba’s challenge with ease.
2 min: A decent start from the hosts. Susaeta sends a cross in from the left but it’s hooked away.
Kick off!
1 min: Barça get us moving, playing from right to left as we watch.
“If there’s anything surprising about the Barça lineup, I suppose it’s that Bravo having gone, the keeper’s jersey hasn’t gone to Sergi Roberto,” banters Charles Antaki. “It’s the only position he hasn’t been made to play in, in what seems to be some kind of bet that Luis Enrique has with someone.”
Here come the teams! Athletic are in their first kit, obviously, while Barça are in their change strip. There is a typically deafening atmosphere in San Mames – what an arena!
That table on the left, by the way, does not lie. Las Palmas are leading La Liga As It Stands because they have battered Granada 5-1. Barça will need to win by two goals to overtake them on goal difference … not that we should be paying any attention to the table a fortnight in.
It’s interesting to see Sam Umtiti retains his place in Barça’s defence, with Javier Mascherano only fit for a place on the bench. That aside, there’s nothing too surprising in either side.
The teams
Athletic Bilbao: Iraizoz; De Marcos, Bóveda, Laporte, Balenziaga; Iturraspe, Beñat; Eraso, Susaeta, Williams; Aduriz.
Subs: Muniain, Vesga, Lekue, Etxeita, Sabin, Raúl García y Kepa
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Umtiti, Alba; D Suárez, Busquets, Rakitic; Messi, L Suárez, Turan.
Subs: Masip, Rafinha, Mascherano, Munir, Digne, Gomes, Vidal.
Hello and welcome to the second foregone conclusion of Barcelona’s La Liga season. Ok, that’s overplaying it a bit, but already there is an ominous look about Luis Enrique’s team. They hammered Betis 6-2 last week – Luis Suárez got three, Lionel Messi scored twice – and it is funny to think a fortnight earlier the manager was sat in Wembley answering questions about whether the team would be ready after losing 4-0 to Liverpool. A reminder, not that one was needed, of how we should never read into pre-season matches.
There is one big question for Barça before tonight’s visit to San Mames, one of the more difficult places to go in Spain. Will Marc-Andre ter Stegen shine now he is first choice in the league? He spent two years as the cup keeper but with Claudio Bravo joining Manchester City in the past few days, the German has an opportunity to cement his place as undisputed first choice before Jasper Cillessen gets a shot.
Athletic started with a 2-1 defeat to Sporting Gijón, but have enough about them, specifically in the names of Iñaki Williams and the evergreen Aduriz, to cause some bother.
Kick-off is 8.15pm in Bilbao (7.15pm BST). Team news will be along right away.
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