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Memphis Depay opened his La Liga account for Barcelona in some style with a brilliant goal in Saturday’s clash with Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.
The Catalan giants went 1-0 down when Ingo Martinez headed the hosts in front after 50 minutes. However, Memphis leveled the match 25 minutes later with a ferocious strike that flew past goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala and into the roof of the net, as shown by ESPN.
The Dutchman had scored three times in preseason for the Catalan giants but Saturday’s effort is his first in competitive action for his new club. Memphis also picked up an assist for Martin Braithwaite in his first appearance for Barca last time out in a 4-2 win over Real Sociedad.
The Dutchman almost repeated that feat in the opening minutes of Saturday’s match. Memphis wriggled into the penalty area and teed up Braithwaite but somehow the Denmark international failed to find the back of the net, as shown by ESPN.
The summer signing almost added a with just five minutes of normal time remaining. Frenkie de Jong sent his compatriot running through on goal but Memphis could only drag a shot fractionally wide of the far post.
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Pique Forced Off With Injury
Barcelona had endured a tough first half with Athletic very much on top. The visitors also lost center-back Gerard Pique to injury. The defender had been a doubt before the game but started alongside Eric Garcia as coach Ronald Koeman named an unchanged line-up.
However, Pique only lasted 32 minutes at San Mames before going off and being replaced by Ronald Araujo. The Uruguay international slotted straight into central defence alongside Garcia.
Pique missed large chunks of last season with knee trouble, and Opta highlighted his recent record which may be of concern to Barcelona.
The Catalan giants will be hoping the 34-year-old’s injury is not too serious, although the arrival of Garcia in the summer on a free transfer has boosted Koeman’s options at center-back.
Araujo Has Goal Ruled Out
Barca also suffered another blow just before half-time when Araujo had a goal ruled out. The Uruguayan produced a brilliant bicycle kick in the penalty area but saw his effort disallowed for a foul in the build-up.
It appeared to be a harsh decision but ensured the two teams went in at the break with the scores still level. Athletic enjoyed the better of the opening 45 minutes, but Barca still managed to create chances at the other end.
Martinez’s goal at the start of the second half piled more pressure on Barca and saw Koeman make changes to his team. Sergi Roberto and Yusuf Demir arrived to replace Pedri and Martin Braithwaite.
The changes did help Barca get back into the game with Roberto involved in the build-up to Barca’s equalizing goal which was finished so emphatically by Memphis. The goal was enough to secure a point for the visitors who finished the game with 10 men after Garcia picked up a second yellow card in stoppage time.
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