Sid Lowe's match report
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The match report is in so I’ll say goodbye. Aritz Aduriz was on the pitch for a total of three minutes. He had two touches and one shot, and with it produced the goal of a lifetime. What a hero. Goodnight and thanks for joining. It’s been a pleasure. I’ll leave you with this …
🇪🇸⚽ @LaLiga is back and with a bang! 💥
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) August 16, 2019
38-year-old Aritz Aduriz scored a stunning overhead kick to help @AthleticClub beat @FCBarcelona 👏#LaLiga #LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/sbP8DDiSDX
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What now for Barcelona? Messi is still injured. Suarez is likely to be joining him on the sidelines. Coutinho is going on loan to Bayern. Griezmann started very slowly. And Dembele still flatters to deceive. De Jong looked good and his revolving midfield partnership with Rakitic in the second half showed real sigs of promise. But Real Madrid and Atletico will be licking their lips now.
Some interesting facts about Aduriz and his goal …
15 - Aritz Aduriz has equaled Lionel Messi as the player to have scored in more #LaLiga seasons in a row ever (15). Hero pic.twitter.com/ap9axfnlBS
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) August 16, 2019
Aduriz scored the first #LaLigaSantander goal of the new season... 🦁
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) August 16, 2019
⚽ 2014/15 - Luis Alberto
⚽ 2015/16 - Salva Sevilla
⚽ 2016/17 - Juanpi
⚽ 2017/18 - Pires
⚽ 2018/19 - Roger
⚽ 2019/20 - ARITZ ADURIZ#AthleticBarça pic.twitter.com/CEh6XtJjzG
Pictures of Aduriz’s stunning volley have been painfully slow to emerge, but I have unearthed an image from Euro 2016 to give you an idea of his body shape. The result was not the same, but the execution similar …
There’ll be partying tonight in Basque country …
🦁 𝗗𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘇 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘇 𝗭𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗮 😍⚽️#AthleticBarça #AthleticClub 🔴⚪ pic.twitter.com/ynTlM0ly9v
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) August 16, 2019
Simon McMahon didn’t think this would happen, no one did. “Evening Rob,” he wrote midway through the second half. “All things considered, I think Athletic Bilbao will probably be happy with a point. We can’t all be like Dundee United and beat the Catalans every time we play now, can we?”
Back to San Mames and the place is rocking. It wasn’t the greatest game and Barcelona looked the most likely winners but only one side had their brilliant talisman to call on. Lionel Messi could not have produced anything better than the sublime scissor-kick Aritz Aduriz unleashed after launching his 38-year-old frame high into the air in the 88th minute. The first goal of the season in La Liga might just turn out to be the best. The champions start with a defeat. The hero of Bilbao has cemented his legend for ever more. Let me know your thoughts.
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Bayern have also stuttered on day one in the Bundesliga. Can Coutinho save them? Andy Lynam has an update via email. “Despite Lewandowski’s VAR-assisted pen on 60 to save the game for Bayern, their inability to get the winner will give much succour to BVB and Leipzig,” he reports. “They should have had the game sewn up midway through the first half but Hertha’s double-strike before half-time really rattled them. Bayern dominated and are clearly stuffed with talent, but the game showed that their confidence is surprisingly fragile. Let’s see what Coutinho can add.”
I’m already looking forward to Sid’s column on Monday …
You’re 38. You’re in your last ever season. You’ve only got two minutes. And you’re up against Barça.
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) August 16, 2019
And?
Woof, woof and woof again
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) August 16, 2019
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Sid Lowe wrote this on Aritz Aduriz in 2016. He shows no sign of letting up.
That was an incredible finish to the game and provides a wonderful start to the season. This will be Aduriz’s final season. He is 38 years old and a legend at this club. But never can he have scored a better goal than that. Shades of Rooney’s legendary strike against City.
FINAL SCORE! Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona
Athletic shock the champions on the opening day.
92 min: Barca probe, Alba centres and Athletic clear.
91 min: There will be three minutes of added time.
Capa is played into space down the right. The ball is bouncing but he caresses it first time into the centre. Aduriz, on the pitch for less than a minute, rises and unleashes a sensational bicycle kick. The ball arrows past Ter Stegen in a flash. What a goal. Simply stunning.
GOAL! Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona (Aduriz, 88 min)
That is a stunning overhead kick winner.
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87 min: De Jong snuffs out the danger coolly when Capa escapes briefly down the right. Aduriz comes on for Williams. The crowd roar the veteran’s introduction. Can be be the difference maker?
85 min: The De Jong-Rakitic axis is working smoothly, maybe a sign of things to come over the season. But the cutting edge is lacking.
84 min: The Dembele-Alba combination releases the flying left-back into space. He pulls the ball back but Griezmann’s shot is blocked. The corner is recycled to Rafinha to cross but Griezmann’s tame header floats over.
Here is the full story on Coutinho to Bayern. Might they reconsider after this …
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80 min: Rafinha dribbles inside the box, waltzes past a couple of defenders and unleashes a shot but still Barcelona cannot breach the home defence.
78 min: Barcelona are half the team without Messi. And even less without Suarez.
76 min: Dembele comes inside and plays Alba into the space he has vacated on the left. Athletic clear. Barcelona bring on Carles Pérez for Sergi Roberto. Perez is a 21-year-old right winger who has only played 17 minutes of first-team football for Barcelona.
74 min: Barca are camped in the Athletic half. The hosts cannot get out.
Gareth Ramsay can update us on the Barcelona strip. “Re the first-half discussion of Barca’s kit,” he explains, “it is actually an update of this 70s classic (with Cruyff looking as beautiful as ever):
70 min: More Barca probing almost gives Griezmann his first sight of goal. Athletic get a foot in but the ball breaks to Rakitic. It’s a chance inside the box but he lashes over wastefully. The pressure is building.
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68 min: Alba, Dembele and Rafinha combine nicely down the left but Athletic snuff them out. They hunt in packs, and make it very tough to break through.
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66 min: De Marcos is off and Oihan Sancet is on. The crowd go wild. They love a young player and clearly have high hopes for the 19-year-old midfielder.
Not everybody is impressed with Coutinho’s imminent move to Bayern. “Klopp said to Coutinho: ‘Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour, leave and you’ll just be another player,’ emails Mike65ie. “He was right.”
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61 min: The resultant free-kick involves a back-heel and a wild slash and troubles nobody.
60 min: Pique is booked for a swinging arm into Raul Garcia’s face. The Barca man is incensed. It’s the first yellow of the game.
59 min: Barca win a free-kick 45 yards from goal. Dembele drifts it in and when it is headed out Rafinha lashes a first-time volley well wide.
58 min: De Jong is dropping between the centre-backs to start attacks from deep, in the style of Busquets. It has injected a bit of tempo into Barcelona’s play.
57 min: A huge punt forward from goal sends Williams clear of Lenglet. The angle is not great and the rapid forward’s effort is weak.
54 min: Lopez fires in a long ranger. It’s smartly hit but always going over. The action is hotting up.
53 min: This time Dembele creates something. A clever ball nutemgs his marker and allows Rafinha a sight of goal. The substitute drives towards the near post but it’s deflected wide off Nunez.
51 min: Pique pumps a very un-Barcelona like long ball forward. It’s cleared but comes to Demebele on the left. A couple of nice shimmies buy him space but again he plays a nothing ball.
49 min: Alba was exposed defensively a couple of times in the first half but a typical burst down the left wins a corner. Rakitic darts on to Dembele’s inswinging delivery but his flicked header has too much on it and drifts over the bar.
47 min: Rakitic has immediately started to dictate play, rolling the ball under his studs like his fellow Croatian Prosinecki used to, and playing probing first time passes into the front men.
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Peep! Peep! The second half begins with a nice turn from De Jong and Dembele giving the ball away.
Rakitic is coming on for Alena. Barcelona need to get hold of midfield.
Coutinho to Bayern Munich is on! The Barcelona director Guillermo Amor has confirmed a deal is close. “We can confirm that there is an agreement in principle for the loan of Coutinho to Bayern,” he said before tonight’s match. “We just have to finalise the deal.”
The European transfer window is open until Monday. Follow all the deals across Europe’s top five leagues with our brilliant interactive …
Half-time emails
“Hope you’re doing well and apologies if this bothers with your live commentary,” writes Vikas Tripathi. “I am late to the party but please pass on my very best wishes to Nicky and congratulate her on her decision to come out. I’ve always found her work insightful and deeply enriching and I am looking forward to very much of the same. Cheers!”
“It’s half-time in the game I’m watching, Huddersfield v Fulham,” reports JR from Illinois. “No score in that one. They’re mostly just kicking each other. It’s pretty good. I thought I’d check in on this game. Has Suarez been looking hungry? And yes, by that I mean does it look like he might bite someone.”
Suarez was looking angry rather than hungry when he was forced off, JR. He may be biting into something now though.
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Half-time! It’s o-o at the break. Athletic Bilbao have been the better, more urgent side, but Barcelona have hit the woodwork twice. Crucially, though, they’ve also lost Suarez to injury, and Messi is not available. This could go either way.
45 min: There will be one minute of added time.
44 min: Rafinha hits the junction of post and bar! He works a yard of space and wraps the inside of his left foot around the ball from way outside the area. Unai Simón is nowhere and the ball screeches against the woodwork. That’s very unlucky.
43 min: Griezmann pops up on the right. He’s looking brighter, but a pitch map of Inaki Williams’s runs show he’s on course to break record for yards covered. Y0u can see why Manchester United were interested.
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40 min: Griezmann is caught offside. It looked miles off, but I don’t think it was. He would have been clear.
38 min: Suarez can’t continue and is replaced by Rafinha. That’s a blow, especially with no Messi, but will at least allow Griezmann to move into the central striking role.
36 min: Capa breaks free of Alba after a clever one two. he pulls it back fro Raul Garcia but he’s stretching when he shoots and the attempt lacks power.
35 min: Suarez looks to be in some pain after taking a knock. He gets some treatment on the side while Williams races down the left. He puts a cross in but Barca see it out and Ter Stegen rises to claim the second ball.
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32 min: Suarez hits the post! A terrible back pass from Lopez puts Suarez clear. He’s coming back to try to get onside so swivels on it and fires an instant shot off on his left. It crashes against the inside of the post and away.
31 min: Unai Lopez breaks forward from midfield and lets fly from 30 yards. It moves in the air but Ter Stegen is up to the task and drops on it.
29 min: It’s a slow burner here, but luckily Andy Lynam has news from the Bundesliga opener in Germany. “We’re heading for a shock,” he writes. “Half-time, and Hertha’s two rapid strikes puncture the carnival atmosphere created when Lewandowski put the champs ahead. Bayern looking fearsome in attack but vulnerable at the back.” Liverpool’s on-loan midfielder Marko Grujic has got Hertha’s second I can tell you.
24 min: A Suarez backheel goes astray. Not long after Dembele is robbed. Griezmann is playing so wide and deep on the left. This front three looks great on paper but without Messi they seem lost.
21 min: Barca pass, pass and pass again but not a forward ball in sight. Eventually they give it away.
“The Barca kit looks like a drunken reinvention of the Crystal Pace kit from the late 70s/early 80s,” Christopher Lawton says via email. They’re playing a bit like them too.
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18 min: A clever reverse pass from Dembele puts Griezmann in a bit of space on the right of the penalty area. He backheels inside but no one is there. All Griezmann has done so far is upset the crowd.
16 min: Williams races clear on to a straight ball over the top. He’s past the last defender and takes one touch on his knee before shooting with his right foot. Ter Stegen stands up before plunging to his left to make a smart but comfortable save.
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14 min: Alena shows his class with a lovely turn in midfield. There are high hopes for the graceful 21-year-old midfielder.
12 min: The crowd whistle and shout after a late tackle from Griezmann. That’s one for each side. Lenglet clears the free-kick.
10 min: The hosts are pressing with some verve and this time it is De Jong who loses the ball to leave Williams in space again. Barca finally get some possession and find Alba on the left. He forces a corner, then another but it comes to nothing.
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7 min: Williams is gifted the ball between the lines after a wayward ball from Dembele. He lets fly but Ter Stegen leaps to his right and palms the ball out for a corner. That was a fine effort but Barcelona need to wake up quick.
6 min: Williams steals the ball off Alba and surges down the right. His centre is put out for a corner but De Jong clears. It’s an underrated part of his game. His passing is supreme, but his screening of the defence is just as good.
4 min: A lovely weaving run from Williams leaves two Barcelona players chasing shadows. Unfortunately he’s heading backwards but he’ll be important tonight. Athletic have begun on the front foot.
2 min: De Jong gets a very late welcome to La Liga challenge from Raul Garcia. That didn’t take long.
Peep! Athletic get us under way at San Mames and immediately show their intentions with a long ball forward. It comes to nothing.
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Pre-match email
“Is Barcelona still cool?” muses Charles Antaki. “They’ve gone down steadily in the coolness stakes ever since they took cash for the front of the shirt and relegated Unicef to somewhere round the back. Subsequent designs have ranged from the quirky to the laughable and now the checkerboard squares have edged into simple naffness. Maybe the actual football will be entertaining.”
One man who does not seem to be going anywhere is Gareth Bale, despite his relationship with Zinedine Zidane seemingly having broken down beyond repair just days ago. Read the latest in that soap opera here …
Philippe Coutinho is not even on the bench tonight, despite travelling with the squad. Reports suggest Bayern Munich are in talks with Barcelona about taking Coutinho on loan. Who would benefit most from that move? Email me with your thoughts.
Real Madrid kick-off their season tomorrow, while Atlético begin on Sunday. Here are the opening fixtures in full …
🇪🇸 La Liga is back!
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) August 16, 2019
👀 Which game are you looking forward to most, & why? 👇
📷 @LaLigaEN pic.twitter.com/TS0skbHy6D
The most impressive article I’ve read in a while was today’s first person piece by our very own Nicky Bandini. The response has been touching and Rob Graham’s email is typical. “Can you pass on my, and hopefully a lot more than 1056 others, very best wishes to Nicky Bandini,” he writes. “A top class football writer, and writer in general as the beautiful piece proved.”
For those who missed it, here it is …
San Mamés is rocking, and these were the scenes an hour go as the fans made their way to the stadium …
👂🏟️ ¡¡Esto es sentir la llamada de San Mamés‼️ 😍#AthleticBarça #AthleticClub 🔴⚪️🦁 pic.twitter.com/0TrZw4oGC5
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) August 16, 2019
For the true lowdown on the new La Liga season, you will not get better than this from Sid Lowe …
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Barcelona have gone with a very young midfield for this game, with Rakitic and Busquets left on the bench by Valverde. A front three of Suarez, Dembele and Griezmann looks menacing though. For Athletic, Iñaki Williams will lead the line and provide the main goal threat after signing a nine-year contract extension with a buy-out clause of £125m. Who knows, that may seem a snip in a couple of years?
The teams
Athletic Bilbao: Unai Simón, Capa, Yeray, Núñez, Yuri, Dani García, Unai López, De Marcos, Raúl García, Muniain, Williams.
Subs: Herrerín, Beñat, Larrazabal, Aduriz, Balenziaga, Vivian, Sancet
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba, Aleñá, Roberto, De Jong, Suárez, Dembélé, Griezmann.
Subs: Rakitic, Busquets, Rafinha, Umtiti, Junior, Iñaki Peña, C. Pérez.
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Preamble
La Liga is back, and back with a vengeance. Alarmed by the Premier League takeover of Europe’s major competitions last season, Spain’s top clubs have spent and spent big. Atlético have splashed €256m to revamp an ageing team while Real Madrid’s total is closer to €300m. Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann lead the incomings at Barcelona and the battle to secure Neymar’s signature is still raging.
Barcelona are the champions and remain the team to beat but a trip to Athletic Bilbao is a tough way to start, especially without Lionel Messi. The Argentinian was injured in the Copa América and Ernesto Valverde has decided not to rush him back for the season’s opener. How will Barça cope? Is Dembéle ready to step up? Will Griezmann slot in seamlessly after his controversial move from Atlético? Or can Athletic give the chasing pack an early shot in the arm? It’s the Basques v the Catalans to see who will draw first blood in Spain’s top division.
Kick-off is 8pm BST.
