Naijahood
In a thrilling La Liga encounter on Sunday, Barcelona’s teenage debutant, Marc Guiu, seized a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao with a goal just seconds after coming off the bench. This win propelled the Catalans into third place in the standings.
Xavi’s Barcelona is now gearing up to face league leaders Real Madrid in the upcoming Clasico, trailing their rivals by just one point. The second-placed Girona, who earlier secured a 5-2 win over Almeria, is also within striking distance.
For much of the game, Barcelona struggled to break through the solid Athletic Bilbao defense. However, it was 17-year-old striker Marc Guiu who provided the breakthrough, scoring within a minute of his substitution by Xavi. Guiu’s goal was set up by a precise pass from Joao Felix, and despite Athletic Bilbao’s goalkeeper Unai Simon getting a hand on the shot, he couldn’t keep it out.
Guiu joins the growing list of young talents making their debuts for Barcelona, a testament to the success of their La Masia academy.
Inigo Martinez, a Barcelona defender, commented on Guiu’s performance, saying, “He’s been training with us for the whole season; it’s important that everyone who comes brings something. We’re happy for him, for the goal, and above all, for winning.”
Barcelona was faced with several key injuries, including star striker Robert Lewandowski, which forced Xavi to field a depleted squad.
The match saw some close calls, with Joao Felix hitting the crossbar early on. Despite Athletic Bilbao’s attempts to disrupt Barcelona’s rhythm, the home side managed to create chances. Marc-Andre ter Stegen was forced into action to deny Inaki Williams and the Ghanaian international.
Approaching the hour mark, Barcelona created their best opportunity, with Unai Simon making a remarkable save to deny Fermin Lopez, who was attempting to capitalize on a rebound from Felix’s shot.
Substitute Lamine Yamal had a chance to double the lead for Barcelona but narrowly missed the target. Barcelona continued to press, and Joao Cancelo forced Simon into another save.
The moment of the match arrived when Xavi introduced Marc Guiu in the 79th minute. Guiu, with his very first touch, broke into the penalty area and confidently fired past Simon. This instant impact from the young striker delighted the home fans, although he was later booked for an overzealous challenge on the goalkeeper.
Barcelona’s victory pushed them into fourth place, surpassing Atletico Madrid, while Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao is now in sixth place.
Simon, the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper, expressed his frustration, saying, “I’m annoyed because it went just past me and maybe I could have done a bit more. We really wanted to get three points to make a big gap above seventh place.”
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