Football General Manager
- Barcelona win the Joan Gamper Trophy
- Fabregas loses on return to former club
- Yamal and Fermin star for hosts
The game started frantically with an end-to-end opening 15 minutes offering both sides chances to test the two goalkeepers, albeit with little success. That soon changed, and fast, when a loose Como pass into the middle of the pitch was cut out by the lively Fermin Lopez who stroked into the bottom corner. With Barcelona taking the lead after 20 minutes, their superiority began to show and the floodgates opened.
After 35 minutes, Fermin added his and Barcelona’s second. Frenkie de Jong’s quick-thinking cut-back found the Spaniard in acres of space on the top of the box and was curled beautifully into the top left corner. Two minutes later, Fermin was again at the heart of the move as he sent Marcus Rashford beyond the backline to square for Raphinha.
The Brazilian then turned provider as he robbed Ignace Van Der Brempt in his own box and passed across to Yamal to tap home into an empty net and make it 4-0 after 42 minutes. Rashford then had a chance to put the Blaugrana into a 5-0 lead but squandered an open goal and golden chance after taking it neatly around Jean Butez in the Como goal.
While half-time came at a good time for the feeble Como, Barcelona’s pressure did not cease after the break. Yamal made it 5-0 just four minutes into the second-half, curling home a trademark finish into the bottom corner. Ferran Torres, Rashford’s half-time replacement, should have added another just moments later, but he suffered his own open-goal blunder, scuffing wide.
As the game ticked over to the hour mark, Barcelona began to take their foot off the gas and allowed Como a few chances. However, the Italian side looked toothless and did not pose too much of a threat to Joan Garcia.
With the game under complete control, Flick rang the changes and allowed a series of youngsters and fringe players the opportunity to get some minutes in the tank. The game drifted to a slow and comfortable result with Barcelona having already proved themselves as slick as any side in the world – the Joan Gamper trophy was theirs.
Fermin was a joy to watch as he led Barcelona’s rout over the truly dreadful Como. The midfielder demonstrated thatu0026nbsp;he is more than capable of becoming a leading player in this team and will no doubtu0026nbsp;be ready to snatch a starring role off of the likes of Dani Olmo this season.
In Robert Lewandowski’s absence, Rashford was given the chance to operate down the middle from the start. The Englishman started brightly and consistently sought to break beyond the Como defence. His best moment came as he burst through and squared for Raphinha, but he really should have made it 5-0 with that disastrous miss before the break.
In goal, Garcia continued between the sticks and looks set to make the number one spot his own this season. Called into action early in the game, Garcia pulled off a couple of smart stops and was then hardly tested.
Roony Bardghji was named on the bench, but was given 10 minutes at the end to show what he could offer the Flick’s side. However, by that point, the game was all-but-done.
Barcelona have a track record of bringing through some of the best youngsters in the world with the dazzling Fermin and Yamal providing an example for those La Masia graduates watching from the sidelines. Dro Fernandez and Toni Fernandez were given the opportunity to get some minutes for the first team off of the bench, but had little time to make a significant impression.
Ending pre-season with a record of four games and four wins, Barcelona turn their attentions to La Liga. The Blaugrana they kick off their defence of the title with a trip to Mallorca on Saturday. As for Como, their season begins with a Coppa Italia clash against Sudtirol.
