Two late strikes ensure Barcelona notch win over Cadiz
With seven players in the Spanish starting XI, Barcelona’s female stars set the standard earlier on Sunday by starring in a groundbreaking FIFA Women’s World Cup win.
The hosts therefore had a tough act to follow, and it was left to 16-year-old Lamine Yamal to provide much of the early spark on his first senior start.
The teenager’s class quickly came to the fore via a pinpoint back-post cross, which saw Pedri head straight at Ledesma from close range, and Yamal was back in the thick of the action minutes later with a curling left-footed effort that forced a spectacular save from the Cadiz stopper.
Barça were completely dominant in the first period, but their wastefulness was almost punished in brutal fashion by Roger Marti, who pounced on Alejandro Balde’s mistake but saw Marc-Andre ter Stegen stand up tall to win the subsequent one-on-one battle.
Marti was once again causing problems after the break, sending a cutback to the edge of the box which was fired wide by Ruben Alcaraz as Xavi’s side rode their luck on more than one occasion.
But as time wore on, Barça upped the ante and a clinical move saw Ilkay Gundogan slide Pedri through on goal to slot past the onrushing Ledesma.
As Cadiz accepted greater risk by pushing forward, substitute Torres proved deadly on the counter-attack with an angled run and confident finish that made sure of the points.
The result makes it three wins over Cadiz in a row for Barça, who continue their remarkable defensive record after conceding just four La Liga goals on home turf last season.
On the other hand, losing out on a point so late will be particularly devastating for Cadiz boss Sergio Gonzalez - a Catalan native with strong ties to La Blaugrana’s local rivals, Espanyol.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
