Barcelona cruise past Athletic Bilbao with Raphinha on target and Rodri unveiled

It was not a perfect performance all the way through, but Barca were still the better side for most of the night and deserved the result.

Match highlight

Anthony Gordon, after producing 2 assists off the bench on his league debut last weekend, was lively again from the start. Barcelona clearly wanted to use his direct running and pace against an Athletic defence that never looked especially comfortable when turned toward its own goal.

Athletic tried to stay compact early on. But Barca gradually took control. Raphinha was just a step away from connecting with a sharp Fermin Lopez pass, then Lamine Yamal forced Unai Simon into a full-stretch save with a curling effort that looked destined for the corner.

At the other end, Joan Garcia had to be alert. The Barca goalkeeper made an excellent intervention after Athletic managed to break through, racing off his line to deal with the danger before Raphinha then headed against the post in an awkward moment for Simon.

Barcelona thought they had broken through before the half-hour. Pedri put the ball in the net, only for the flag to go up because Lamine had drifted offside earlier in the move. It was a warning for Athletic, though, because Barca were getting closer.

Peio Canales and Oihan Sancet had some encouraging moments for the visitors, but they could not stop Barcelona finding the goal their pressure deserved in the 37th minute.

Pedri slipped the pass through and Raphinha did the rest, rounding Simon and rolling the ball into the empty net.

That goal settled Barca down. They pushed hard for a 2nd before the break too, but Simon produced a top-class save to deny Lamine and keep Athletic alive going into half-time.

Barcelona should probably have put the game away earlier after the restart. Gordon missed a huge chance almost immediately, blasting over from a good position, and Lamine then crashed an effort against the bar as Athletic's back line stood off him.

The Williams brothers tried to drag Athletic forward, but their threat faded as the game wore on, and both were eventually taken off as the visitors struggled to find a way back into it. Simon had to make another stop from Fermin's volley before the biggest cheer of the night arrived when Rodri came on for his Barcelona debut.

Athletic did have one big chance to change the mood late on when Sancet struck the right-hand post, and for a brief spell Barca looked a little more vulnerable than they had earlier in the match.

With less than 10 minutes left, Fermin punished a mistake from Aymeric Laporte to score Barcelona's 2nd goal and cap an impressive individual display.

The win sends Barca to the top of the table after 2 matches, while Athletic, now beaten in 7 of their last 8 away games, are stuck near the bottom.