Barcelona’s preparations for the 2024-25 season got off to a winning start thanks to a 4-1 victory on penalties over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City after a 2-2 draw in regulation in the opening match of their preseason tour of the United States. After a storm delayed the kickoff by over an hour the two teams put on a fun exhibition in Orlando, and Barça took their first steps under Hansi Flick with an intense, energetic display filled with impressive performances by a very young Blaugrana side.
FIRST HALF
City had most of the ball as usual to start the game, and created some good chances early on with Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish both forcing Iñaki Peña into some big saves in the opening minutes.
Barça absorbed the pressure and mostly stayed in a mid-block looking for opportunities to win the ball in midfield to counter-attack quickly, but they also had their moments in possession and moved the ball well between the lines thanks to the very productive double pivot of Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal, who connected defense and attack well with their progressive passing and quick decision-making.
And it was Casadó who was at the heart of the first goal with a gorgeous assist to put Pau Víctor one-on-one with Ederson and give Barça the lead. Barça sat back after scoring and City dominated the ball at the end of the half, and Nico O’Reilly finally broke the deadlock after a great assist from Josko Gvardiol.
But the Catalans were not done and continued to press with intensity and energy, and were rewarded with a second goal thanks to a brilliant dummy by Pau Víctor that froze the entire City defense and gave Pablo Torre plenty of time and space to find the bottom corner and put Barça ahead just before the break.
The halftime whistle came to end a fun opening period, with a young and hungry Barça side playing well as a team and taking the lead into the interval.
SECOND HALF
Both coaches kept most of their starters to begin the second half, and City continued to have more of the ball as they searched for an equalizer while Barça were happy to sit back and try to create trouble on the counter.
Pau Víctor almost scored his second of the night but Stefan Ortega made an excellent save, and the Blaugrana looked dangerous every time they won the ball back high up the pitch. But a few changes at the back also meant they were more vulnerable, and that led to a second City goal as Mateo Kovacic was allowed to go on a one-man counter-attack and find Jack Grealish for the Blues’ second equalizer on the night.
Then came the usual sea of changes for both sides at the hour mark, with even more Barça youngsters getting a run while Robert Lewandowski also made his preseason debut. Flick made a few more changes with 15 minutes to go, including the return of Alejandro Balde after almost six months away.
The game lost its momentum thanks to the substitutions, but the pace picked up again and things started to get a little more physical as we reached the final 10 minutes. Barça had a big chance to win it at the end when Noah Darvich played Lewandowski through on goal, but the Pole was blocked at the last second by Callum Doyle inside the box.
The final whistle came shorty after, but there was still a penalty shootout to decide the winner. Barça won the shootout 4-1 thanks to two saves by reserve keeper Ander Astralaga, with all four Barça takers converting their spot kicks and Toni Fernández scoring the decisive penalty.
That was a fun way to end an entertaining start to preseason for Barça, who played with a lot of energy and intensity for most of the night as we’ve come to expect from Hansi Flick’s teams.
Youngsters like Casadó, Bernal and Víctor will get the headlines, but the structure and organization out of possession was also noteworthy. Barça looked well-coached, with high fitness levels and great dedication without the ball. It’s a solid start, one that Hansi Flick can be happy about while still knowing there’s a lot of work to do.
