Raphinha gives Barcelona lead against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga opener

Raphinha put Barcelona ahead against Athletic Bilbao in their La Liga opening-week match after converting a superb pass from Pedri.

The Brazilian forward received the ball through on goal, rounded the Athletic goalkeeper and calmly finished into the net. It was the decisive moment in a first half in which Barcelona had created several opportunities but had initially struggled to break the deadlock.

Barcelona had threatened from the early stages, with Lamine Yamal twice testing the Athletic goalkeeper from inside the penalty area. One effort was saved, while another flew narrowly wide of the goal.

The hosts also came close from a corner. A cross from the set-piece found Garcia, whose header went just past the post.

Athletic Bilbao produced danger of their own from a corner, but Barcelona defender Marc Bernal dealt with the delivery and cleared it successfully. Another Athletic cross into the area was dealt with by Pau Cubarsi.

The opening stages were also disrupted by a series of offside calls. Raphinha was caught offside for Barcelona, while Lamine Yamal was later flagged in an almost identical situation. Anthony Gordon was also ruled offside for Barcelona.

Athletic player Williams was awarded a free-kick after a foul in midfield as the visitors looked to respond, but Barcelona continued to press for the opening goal.

After 15 minutes, the score remained goalless despite Barcelona’s early attempts. The same was true when the match passed the half-hour mark, before Raphinha finally broke the deadlock with the quality finish created by Pedri.

Before the goal, Barcelona had repeatedly sought an opening through the wide areas and inside the penalty box. Yamal’s movement gave Athletic’s defence problems, although the goalkeeper was able to keep out his most dangerous effort.

Raphinha’s finish changed the pattern of the game, rewarding Barcelona’s pressure and giving them the advantage in the first match of the La Liga season. The goal was recorded as Raphinha’s after Pedri’s incisive pass left him one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

The match listing also referenced Pedri and Xavi Espart alongside the goal incident, while the live updates continued to follow Barcelona’s attempts to establish control.

Barcelona’s lead came after a first half that had remained level for much of its opening 30 minutes. Athletic Bilbao had defended the set pieces with some success, and Barcelona’s earlier attacks had either been stopped by the goalkeeper, missed the target or been halted by offside decisions.

However, the combination of Pedri’s pass and Raphinha’s composure provided the breakthrough. After evading the goalkeeper, Raphinha sent the ball into the net to give Barcelona a 1-0 advantage.