Gordon earns standing ovation as Barcelona maul Athletic to keep 20-home-win streak alive

Barcelona made it two wins from two to open their La Liga title defence on Thursday night, edging past Athletic Club 2-0 at the Spotify Camp Nou thanks to goals from Raphinha and Fermin Lopez. The result hands Hansi Flick's champions maximum points after two gameweeks and extends their remarkable home-winning sequence in the league to 20 consecutive matches.

Gordon shines on first Barcelona start

The standout storyline of the evening, however, was the impact of summer signing Anthony Gordon. Handed his first start in Blaugrana colours after a lively debut off the bench on the opening day against Elche, the England international looked completely at home down the left flank throughout.

“Once again, Anthony Gordon looked completely at home down the left flank for Barcelona. That he's settled so quickly into his role is to his great credit, and the outlet he offers gives the Catalans much more width on the left.”

Though Gordon did not directly contribute to either goal, his sharpness, pace and constant intent repeatedly stretched the Athletic backline, pulling defenders out of position and creating room for his teammates. His efforts did not go unnoticed: as his number flashed up on the fourth official's board, the Camp Nou faithful rose to their feet as one to afford the 25-year-old a standing ovation, hailing an acquisition already being described as “an excellent summer buy”.

Raphinha leads the way despite Simon's heroics

Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon was the most impressive performer on the pitch, making a jaw-dropping eight saves and finishing the contest with his own personal highlight reel to keep matters nervy for the hosts. The World Cup winner repelled early efforts from Lamine Yamal at full stretch and produced another stunning point-blank stop from Yamal late in the first period.

The deadlock was eventually broken in the 37th minute. Pedri dropped deep before sliding a trademark through-ball between centre-backs Aymeric Laporte and Yeray Alvarez, and Raphinha calmly rounded Unai Simon to tuck it away. A long-range Yamal strike then cannoned off the crossbar early in the second half as Barcelona racked up a staggering 22 shots and 3.9 expected goals against Athletic's five attempts.

Rodri's debut and depth on show

New recruit Rodri was introduced to a rapturous reception in the 63rd minute, making his Barcelona debut as a substitute. Oihan Sancet then dealt the hosts a major scare, striking the base of the post with a 20-yard drive, but the Blaugrana sealed victory eight minutes from time when another new signing, Karim Adeyemi, supplied a left-wing cross that Laporte diverted towards his own goal — with Fermin gratefully tapping into the unguarded net.

The bench's strength spoke volumes for Barcelona's improved depth, with the club able to bring on Dani Olmo while still counting Joao Cancelo, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, Alejandro Balde and others among the reserves.

Records and room for improvement

Thursday's win was a landmark one for the champions, who have now won 20 consecutive home matches in La Liga since a 3-2 defeat to Valencia in May 2025 — their longest such streak under a single coach since Rinus Michels' run of 21 in 1973-74.

Culers, meanwhile, are right to admire Flick’s commitment to a high defensive line despite the risks, with one or more defenders getting caught on their heels against Athletic. Were it not for Joan Garcia's cleanliness and Los Leones' profligacy, the scoreline could have been different, underlining that the movement still needs work to be automatic. Flick could still hand Rodri his first start against Rayo Vallecano on Monday, with the new signing clocking almost half an hour here.

The victory also condemned Athletic manager Edin Terzic to become the first Athletic coach to lose his first two La Liga matches in charge since Ernesto Valverde in 2003-04.