Barcelona celebrated their long-awaited return to the revamped Camp Nou with a commanding 4–0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, delivering the kind of performance that instantly reconnected the team with their home crowd after 909 days away.
The hosts settled quickly, creating early pressure that paid off when Robert Lewandowski swept in the opener after Athletic failed to clear their lines. The Polish striker had already threatened twice before finally finding the net, and his movement continued to trouble the visitors’ defence.
Athletic responded briefly through chances for Alex Berenguer, Nico Williams and Unai Gomez, but none were taken, and Barcelona punished them as the first half closed. Lamine Yamal slipped a brilliant pass behind the backline, allowing Ferran Torres to slot in a composed finish under Unai Simón, doubling Barça’s lead just before the break.
Barcelona returned from the interval with the same intensity and effectively killed the contest within minutes. Fermin López finished confidently after linking with Eric García, and Athletic’s hopes evaporated completely when Oihan Sancet received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Fermin soon after. With the visitors reduced to ten men, Barcelona controlled proceedings with ease, and Torres completed his brace late on, again benefiting from the creativity of the electric Yamal.
The win pulls Barcelona level on points with Real Madrid ahead of the leaders’ match against Elche, and the atmosphere inside the newly reopened stadium made the occasion feel like more than just three points. For the players, staff and supporters, it was a return worth the wait — and one capped by a performance that looked very much like a statement of intent.
