Barcelona started life without Lionel Messi in a 3-0 win over Juventus in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Sunday night. Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite and Ricky Puig scored.
This version of Gamper, a traditional festive occasion when Barca presents the team for the upcoming season, proved to be a nostalgic affair. Just hours before the encounter, a tearful Messi bid farewell at a news conference after 21 years with the club, when Barca were unable to sign the player to a new contract.
Fans had expected a showdown between Argentine forward and Juve's Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom won 11 Ballon d'Or trophies between them, but that was stopped by Messi's departure.
Instead, there was tribute. Slogans of "Messi, Messi" could be heard before the game, attended by about 2,600 fans at the Johann Cruyff Stadium, and there were more in the 10th minute of the encounter as a tribute to the club's most famous number 10. All-time leading scorer.
Whenever Ronaldo touched the ball, the fans started shouting with the name of Messi. The former Real Madrid player, who played in the opening half in his first appearance in the preseason, went close to scoring twice and won the U.S. The defender clashed with Sergio Dest at one point.
Barca were missing several players due to injuries, including Sergio Aguero, who suffered a right calf injury in training and may have suffered a spell on the spot. Meanwhile, Eric GarcÃa and teenager Pedri were absent as they competed with Spain in the Olympics.
Home coach Ronald Koeman fielded Memphis, Braithwaite and Antoine Griezmann to attack in a 4–3–3 formation, and despite the turmoil of Messi's ouster, Barca fared better than their rivals in fitness and preparation. looked further down on what was his fifth game. pre season
Barca took the lead in the third minute with a swift counter-attack, in which Yusuf Demir set up Memphis and the Dutchman's left-footed strike struck Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczekny. Demir, 18, was continuing his fine preseason form and later held back inside the Juve area, before whipping out a shot that was saved by Szczny.
Barcelona goalkeeper Neto was asked to work both sides of half-time. He put out a powerful left-footed effort from Alvaro Morata and extended it all the way to secure Ronaldo's 30-yard free kick before the break, then denied it to Juve deputy Federico Chiesa after the break.
The lead was doubled in the 57th minute when a Memphis corner was led by substitute goalkeeper Mattia Perrin near Brathwaite, who was beaten again in the final minute when substitute Puig fired a left footed shot into the top corner of the area. rotated inside.
"It's not one of the best days," Barcelona defender Gerard Pique admitted after the game. "You know you have to go through this day, but the team was impressed. Especially those of us who have spent more years sharing the dressing room with [Messi].
"On the level of talent and magic, it's not the same when the best goes in history," Pique continued. "You lose a very important part in the attack, which gave you a lot of goals and assists. We have to compete."
"Everyone knows what happened today and what we lost. It was not easy," Neto said. "There was a lot of emotion in the air but we are all professionals and we know it has to keep going. We did what we had to do."
Also on Sunday, Barcelona's women's team, the current Champions League holders, scored five goals in the first half and beat Juve 6-0 to win their first Gamper Trophy.