Barcelona marks Camp Nou homecoming with 4-0 rout of Athletic Bilbao

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona was back at its beloved Camp Nou and produced a dominant 4-0 victory over 10-man Athletic Bilbao to add to the homecoming celebrations on Saturday.

Some 45,000 fans were on hand as Europe’s largest soccer stadium re-opened at roughly half capacity. Camp Nou had been closed for over two years for a major overhaul that the indebted club hopes will boost revenues.

Robert Lewandowski set the tone by scoring just four minutes into the match. Ferran Torres added two goals from a pair of superb passes by fellow forward Lamine Yamal, and Fermín López scored in his first game at Camp Nou. Athletic lost Oihan Sancet to a red card for a dangerous foul of López in the 53rd with the hosts up 3-0.

“We played well from the start and took another three points, but the important thing today is being back at Camp Nou,” Lewandowski said. “It is something else to play here. I think when we play at Camp Nou we are a little bit stronger.”

Barcelona’s fans belted out the club hymn before kickoff amid a celebratory vibe despite the chilly weather.

They had reason to be extra happy. The last time they had been able to attend a game at Camp Nou was May 2023. For the following 900-plus days, Barcelona played its home games at the municipally owned 55,000-seat Olympic Stadium located atop a hill overlooking the city that was more difficult to reach.

“It has been two years at the (Olympic Stadium) and it wasn’t easy, the atmosphere wasn’t the same, you could tell it wasn’t Camp Nou,” the 36-year-old fan Carlos Narváez said. “This is like coming home. I am sure the players will feel that way, just like we fans do. You can see how excited everyone is.”

The club set off blue-and-burgundy smoke just minutes before the game and launched fireworks afterwards in an attempt to set the day apart from just another home game. Some fans also took to chanting out “Messi! Messi!” at one point during the game, recalling the glory days of the club’s best ever player at the stadium.

But homecoming aside, there is still significant work before the new-look Camp Nou is finished and ready to hold 105,000 fans.

The top tier of Camp Nou remains mostly a skeleton of metal and concrete beams and pillars; huge construction cranes loom over the stadium and are visible from the stands, and there are areas that look like a construction site.

Joan García started in goal and Raphinha went on as a late substitute as both played their first minutes since recovering from leg injuries that had sidelined them for nearly two months.

The win pulled Barcelona level on points with Real Madrid atop the table before Madrid visits Elche on Sunday.

Next up for Barcelona: a trip to London to play Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Delays and deadlines

Work on upgrading Camp Nou began in June 2023 to repair, modernize and expand a venue that previously had a capacity of 99,000. The club secured 1.45 billion euros (then $1.6 billion) from multiple investors to undertake the remodeling project.

Barcelona had originally planned to be back playing games at Camp Nou as early as November 2024 to coincide with the club’s 125th anniversary. The date was pushed back several times, and the club has not said when it now expects the stadium work to be completed. The club said it plans to seek permission from authorities to open more seating as work progresses.

Earlier this month, over 20,000 fans turned out to watch Barcelona’s first practice back at Camp Nou.

Barcelona also received authorization from UEFA this week to host Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou on Dec. 9.

Villarreal right behind

Tani Oluwaseyi scored late to help Villarreal beat Mallorca 2-1 and stay in third place, just two points behind the front-runners.

The Canada forward and former Major League Soccer player found the winner in the 83rd-minute.

A goal from the center circle

Ander Barrenetxea scored a goal from inside the center circle as Real Sociedad fought back with three goals in the second half to beat Osasuna 3-1.

The forward caught goalkeeper Sergio Herrera off his line with his lob from the midfield. Herrera backtracked and got a hand on the ball but not enough to keep it out. The goal in the 82nd rounded off Sociedad’s first away win of the season.

Iago Aspas converted a penalty early in the second half as Celta Vigo edged Alaves 1-0 on the road.

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AP video journalist Hernán Múñoz contributed to this report.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer