Barcelona - NouCamp Faithful

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Real Sociedad 1 - 2 Barcelona : Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele score as Barcelona beat Real Sociedad

Barcelona rode their luck to come from behind and win 2-1 at Real Sociedad on Saturday, continuing to banish their awful record in San Sebastian and maintaining their perfect start to the La Liga season.

The champions fell behind following a thumping shot from Aritz Elustondo in the 12th minute from a set piece.

They also survived a mini onslaught from the home side in the second half before Luis Suarez levelled in the 63rd with a scrappy goal and Ousmane Dembele gave them a barely deserved lead three minutes later.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 4 - 0 PSV Eindhoven : Lionel Messi sets Champions League hat-trick record as Barcelona ease past PSV

Lionel Messi scored a record-setting hat trick as Barcelona opened their Champions League campaign in Group B with an impressive 4-0 win against PSV Eindhoven at the Camp Nou.

The hosts open the scoring just past the half-hour mark when Messi curled in an unstoppable free kick from just outside the penalty area after Ousmane Dembele was fouled following a hard-charging run from midfield.

Dembele, who had been rampant throughout, scored Barcelona's second by completing a slick run through PSV's back line with an even better finish and Messi added his team's third with a cool first-time shot from an Ivan Rakitic pass over the top of the visitor's defence.

Suarez then teed up Messi for his third as the Argentina international calmly slotted home from 10 yards away to put the result even further out of reach.

The hat trick was Messi's eighth in the Champions League, breaking a tie with Cristiano Ronaldo for the most in tournament history.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 2 - 2 Girona : Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique score to give Barcelona 2-2 draw with Girona

Barcelona's 100 percent winning start to the season came to a halt on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 La Liga draw by Girona on Sunday, having been reduced to playing the final 55 minutes with 10 men.

The result meant they lost their two-point advantage over Real Madrid at the top of the table, with both teams on 13 points after five games.

Lionel Messi gave the champions the lead in the 19th minute with a first-time shot after a lay off from Chile international Arturo Vidal and came close to doubling the lead after dancing through a maze of defenders but saw his shot saved.

Barca's strong start was derailed when defender Clement Lenglet was sent off 35 minutes into his first league start for the club after elbowing Pere Pons, and Girona took advantage right before the interval when Cristhian Stuani levelled.

Uruguayan striker Stuani struck again in the 51st to give Girona, only playing their second season in Spain's top flight, an unlikely lead.

The Catalans continued to dominate proceedings despite their numerical disadvantage, and they almost equalised when Messi sent a free kick crashing against the crossbar.

Gerard Pique headed in the leveller in the 63rd minute by climbing above two defenders to meet a scrappy, deflected cross from Luis Suarez after coach Ernesto Valverde had thrown on Ivan Rakitic and Philippe Coutinho for the underperforming Vidal and Arthur.

Girona coped admirably with Barca's onslaught for the remainder of the game, keeping their heads under the pressure and forcing the champions to resort to long range shots which failed to trouble impressive visiting goalkeeper Bono.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Leganes 2 - 1 Barcelona : Barcelona drop first game of La Liga season in shock defeat

La Liga leaders Barcelona slumped to a shock first loss of the season on Wednesday, suffering a 2-1 defeat at struggling Leganes after conceding twice in two second-half minutes as coach Ernesto Valverde's squad rotation backfired.

Philippe Coutinho gave the champions the lead in the 12th minute with a classy volley and Lionel Messi smacked a shot against the bar as Barca, resting Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez, made a strong start against Leganes, who began the game bottom of the table.

Barca's comfortable hold on the game dramatically fell apart shortly after the interval when Nabil El Zhar headed home a looping cross in the 52nd minute and 20-year-old Oscar Rodriguez turned in a second goal barely sixty seconds later to the joy of the 12,000 fans crammed into the Butarque stadium.

Leganes goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar pulled off a stunning double save to thwart Coutinho and Ivan Rakitic from close range in the closing minutes while Sergi Roberto skied a good opportunity as the unfancied hosts held on to record their first top-flight win over Barcelona.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 1 - 1 Athletic Bilbao : Barcelona held by Athletic Bilbao as Munir El Haddadi rescues point

Barcelona's run of poor form continued following a surprise 1-1 draw at home to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets started on the bench as Barcelona stretched their winless run to three La Liga matches.

Messi's arrival changed the game in Barcelona's favour but Ernesto Valverde will rue more points dropped in La Liga as he switches attention to the midweek clash with Tottenham in the Champions League.

Oscar De Marcos' goal just before the break looked to have made it back-to-back defeats for Barcelona following their midweek loss to Leganes but Munir El Haddadi equalised seven minutes from time.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 4 Barcelona : Barcelona beat Tottenham in Group B on back of Lionel Messi double

Lionel Messi scored twice and powered Barcelona to a 4-2 win against Tottenham in Champions League Group B at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night.

Philippe Coutinho had the visitors ahead inside of two minutes, smashing a half-volley into an empty net after Hugo Lloris was caught out trying to chase down a Messi through ball.

Barcelona were two up before the half-hour mark thanks to a sensational goal from Ivan Rakitic, who side-volleyed home an unstoppable shot after Coutinho had played the ball back to him at the top of the penalty area.

And minutes later, Tottenham would find their first when Harry Kane picked up an Erik Lamela pass, charged into the area and cut back to his right foot before powering a shot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to make it 2-1.

Tottenham's celebrations would be short-lived, though, as Barca hit back right away with Messi finding the inside of the post he'd hit twice to open the half from a Jordi Alba cutback that Luis Suarez allowed to run through to his Argentine teammate.

Kane's hard work on the right flank led to Spurs second as he won the ball back from Barcelona and teed up Lamela, whose shot took deflected off Clement Lenglet and over the outstretched arms of a diving Ter Stegen to again cut the deficit to one goal.

Messi put matters to rest just before full-time after a bad giveaway from the Tottenham defence left the Barca talisman alone with only Lloris to beat and he made no mistake, tucking the ball into the bottom right corner to seal the points.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Valencia 1 - 1 Barcelona : Lionel Messi's super strike not enough as Barcelona draw

Champions Barcelona's domestic strife continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Valencia in an absorbing La Liga game on Sunday, with Lionel Messi again coming to their rescue by equalising with an 11th goal in 10 games this season.

The draw stretched Barca's winless run in Spain's top flight to four games and saw them surrender first place to Sevilla in a highly competitive campaign in which the leading six teams are separated by only two points.

The Catalans fell behind in the second minute at a bouncing Mestalla stadium after dreadful defending from a corner allowed Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay to stab home from close range.

Barca continued to leak chances but got a foothold in the game thanks to a superb strike in the 23rd minute from talisman Messi, who has been superb recently with a midweek performance for the ages against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League.

Barcelona failed to further breach well-organised Valencia, however, racking up a run of three draws and a defeat in four league games, their longest stretch without a win since 2016.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 4 - 2 Seviila : Messi's arm injury casts shadow as Barcelona beat Sevilla

Barcelona moved back to the top of the La Liga table with their 4-2 win over Sevilla on Saturday night, but saw Lionel Messi exit early with a right arm injury.

The hosts got off to a fast start at Camp Nou, with Phillipe Coutinho scoring in the second minute.

Messi doubled Barcelona's lead in the 12th minute, but disaster struck five minutes later when he landed awkwardly on his right arm after getting wrapped up with Sevilla midfielder Franco Vazquez.

Writhing in pain on the field, Messi was tended to by team trainers before being substituted off for Ousmane Dembele.

The injury was diagnosed as fracture in the radial bone of his right arm, meaning the Barcelona captain will miss a Champions League match against Inter Milan on Wednesday and next Sunday's Clasico against Real Madrid.

The defending La Liga champions looked a bit disoriented following the exit of their captain, nursing the lead into the break.

Barcelona regained their poise for the second half, and added a third goal when Luis Suarez converted a penalty in the 63rd minute.

Pablo Sarabia finally broke Sevilla through with a goal in the 79th minute with a shot that deflected off Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet.

Ivan Rakitic scored the home side's final goal against his former club in the 88th minute with a first-time volley, only to have Luis Muriel answer for Sevilla in the 91st minute.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 2 - 0 Internazionale : Barcelona beat Inter Milan to go clear in Champions League Group B

Barcelona came through their first test without the injured Lionel Messi, earning a convincing 2-0 win at home to Inter Milan to take control of Champions League Group B on Wednesday.

Midfielder Rafinha opened the scoring against the club where he spent the latter half of last season, bursting through the middle and finding Luis Suarez, then turning the Uruguayan's cross in on the volley in the 32nd minute.

Spanish left-back Jordi Alba killed off Inter's resistance late in the second half with a thumping low finish, snapping the Italian side's winning streak of seven games in all competitions and sealing a third-straight win in the Champions League for Ernesto Valverde's team.

Barca top Group B with nine points while Inter are second on six, with PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur locked on a point each.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 5 - 1 Real Madrid : Luis Suarez scores hat trick as Barcelona thrash Real Madrid in Clasico

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick as his side thrashed arch-rivals Real Madrid 5-1 on Sunday in a highly entertaining Clasico which surely will signal the end of hapless coach Julen Lopetegui's spell in charge of Real.

Barca's Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring in the 11th minute following a slick team move and Suarez doubled their advantage on the half-hour mark by converting a penalty awarded after consultation with the video assistant referee (VAR).

Real had looked lifeless in the first half but produced a courageous display after the break following a tactical switch from Lopetegui. They deservedly pulled a goal back through Marcelo and came close to grabbing an equaliser as Luka Modric struck the post and Sergio Ramos headed narrowly over.

Barca reasserted their authority and ran riot in the final 15 minutes with two more goals from Suarez, while a header from substitute Arturo Vidal further twisted the knife into Real, who have lost their last three league games and are seven points behind Barca in the La Liga standings in ninth position.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Cultural Leonesa 0 - 1 Barcelona : Barcelona beat Cultural Leonesa in Copa del Rey with Clement Lenglet header

(1st Leg)

Holders Barcelona scraped a 1-0 win at third-tier Cultural Leonesa thanks to Clement Lenglet's late header in their Copa del Rey first-leg match.

Record 30-times cup winners Barcelona were on the back foot against Cultural Leonesa, with goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen making some smart saves to keep Ernesto Valverde's heavily rotated side level.

Lenglet headed Ousmane Dembele's free kick home at the near post in stoppage time to earn the Catalans a narrow advantage heading into the second leg.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Rayo Vallecano 2 - 3 Barcelona : Luis Suarez's brace completes late comeback

Late goals from Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez earned La Liga champions Barcelona a 3-2 win at struggling Rayo Vallecano on Saturday to keep them clear at the top of the standings.

Suarez slotted in a cross from Jordi Alba from close range to give Barca a deserved lead in the 11th minute after they had made a flying start at a ground where they had eased to victory in their previous five visits and had not lost since 2002.

But Rayo, 19th in the table and with only one win all season, fought their way back into the game and midfielder Jose Pozo smashed an equaliser in off the post in the 35th minute.

Rayo winger Alvaro Garcia sent the raucous home fans into delirium early in the second half by stabbing his side in front on the rebound after striker Raul de Thomas had struck the post with a diving header.

Barca might have had a sense of deja vu from their shock 2-1 defeat in Madrid by Leganes two months ago in which they also threw away the lead, and the Catalans adopted no-nonsense tactics to get back into the game, throwing defender Gerard Pique up front and playing frequent high balls into the box.

Substitute Dembele got Barca out of trouble with a perfectly struck half-volley in the 87th minute after a knockdown by Pique.

Suarez, who scored a hat trick in last week's drubbing of Real Madrid, completed the comeback three minutes later by arriving at the far post to steer in a cross from Sergi Roberto, striking a fifth goal in two games and a ninth in total to move top of the league's scoring charts.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Internazionale 1 - 1 Barcelona : Barcelona remain atop Champions League Group B after Inter Milan draw

Barcelona qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League on Tuesday after a compelling 1-1 draw away to Inter Milan as a late leveller from Mauro Icardi ended the Catalans' perfect record in this season's competition.

Former Barca youth player Icardi swivelled to smash the ball into the net in the 87th minute not long after Brazilian Malcom appeared to have snatched a late winner for Barca by scoring his first goal for the club moments after coming off the bench.

Barca were still without talismanic figure Lionel Messi through injury but were the better side for most of a game that was high on intensity but lacking in quality until an electrifying final 10 minutes at a rocking San Siro.

Barca top Group B with 10 points after four games; Inter are second with seven, while Tottenham Hotspur are third on four and PSV Eindhoven bottom, and out of the competition, with one.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Barcelona 3 - 4 Real Betis : Barcelona's Lionel Messi returns from injury as Real Betis stun Camp Nou

Lionel Messi scored twice on his return to action following a broken arm but could not stop Barcelona suffering a surprise defeat at home to Real Betis.

Messi broke his arm against Sevilla on Oct. 20 but made a quick recovery to take his place in Barcelona's starting XI at Camp Nou.

Junior Firpo struck for Betis on 21 minutes before Joaquin Sanchez doubled the lead before the break. Messi reduced the deficit on 67 minutes with a penalty but Giovani Lo Celso made it 3-1 soon after. Substitute Arturo Vidal gave Barcelona hope when he made it 3-2 11 minutes from time before Ivan Rakitic was sent off for a second booking and Sergio Canales made the game safe.

Messi added his second in injury time following a VAR referral but it wasn't enough to stop Barcelona from stumbling to defeat.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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Atletico Madrid 1 - 1 Barcelona : Barcelona draw with Atletico Madrid with late Ousmane Dembele strike

Ousmane Dembele's 90th-minute strike rescued Barcelona a point at Atletico Madrid in a 1-1 draw on Saturday that kept the Catalans top of La Liga.

The France winger came on as a substitute and drove in a low shot that deflected past Jan Oblak.

Atletico striker Diego Costa's 77th-minute header from Antoine Griezmann's corner was the first effort on target in a dour clash and appeared to have sent the Madrid side top of the standings.

But Dembele's late contribution stopped Barcelona from falling to a second consecutive defeat and kept them one point ahead of their opponents at the summit.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)