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Lamine Yamal won the battle of Spanish wingers against his best mate Nico Williams as Barcelona raced to the top of LALIGA standings.
Barcelona showed grit and teeth, and they outmuscled Athletic Club to win 2-1 and race to the top of the LALIGA standings.
The Blaugrana were lifted by goals from the youngest player in the squad, Lamine Yamal, and the oldest, Robert Lewandowski, as they entertained Montjuic to a first home victory of the season.
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Key match details
The game was cagey in the opening exchanges but soon settled into a rhythm. The encounter early on went as predicted in the match previews, with Barcelona stringing passes together and Athletic Club attempting to break their rhythm and hit them on the counter.
The game was billed as a battle of Spain's two wingers, Yamal and Nico Williams; it was the Barcelona flankman who first influenced the game when he cut inside and curled his effort to give the Blaugrana a 24th-minute lead.
The youngster's curling effort was slightly deflected by Inigo Lekue, who motioned to head the ball clear. The slight misdirection helped the ball beat Alex Padilla.
Barcelona had the chance to pile on moments later, but Lewandowski’s guilt-edge opportunity crashed against the crossbar.
Athletic Club punished the profligacy, denying Barcelona a half-time lead when Pau Cubarsi conceded a penalty. Oihan Sancet stepped up and dispatched accurately.
Barcelona roused themselves in the second-half and looked sharper than they did in the opening 45. They created chance after chance in a bid to regain their lead and would wait until the 75th minute before their effort bore fruit.
Raphinha slipped Pedri into the left-half-space in the Athletic penalty area and the midfielder's cutback was parried into the path of Robert Lewandowski, who latched on to restore Barcelona's lead.
The Blaugrana pressed to increase their margin but did not find another goal as the match ended 2-1. Flick would be happy with his team's performance, as they continue to trundle on without Dani Olmo, who they are yet to register.
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