Barcelona marked their long-awaited return to a newly rebuilt Camp Nou with a commanding 4–0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, pulling level with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
The champions, back at their historic ground after two and a half years away due to renovations, reopened the stadium later than planned following delays and construction setbacks.
But the homecoming could not have been sweeter for Hansi Flick’s men.
Robert Lewandowski set the tone early, firing in the opening goal in the fourth minute after Eric Garcia won the ball high up the pitch.
Though goalkeeper Unai Simón got a hand to the shot, he could not keep it out, giving the Polish striker his eighth league goal of an injury-disrupted season.
Barcelona, backed by more than 45,000 supporters across three newly opened stands, dominated the first half.
Fermin López forced a save from Simón while Dani Olmo went close to doubling the lead. Athletic, coached by former Barça boss Ernesto Valverde, stayed competitive but offered little threat.
Just before halftime, Lamine Yamal produced a moment of brilliance, threading a stunning outside-of-the-boot pass to Ferran Torres, who finished past Simón to make it 2–0.
Early in the second half, Barcelona struck again.
Eric Garcia pressed aggressively in midfield and set up López, who buried the chance with confidence.
Athletic’s frustration boiled over minutes later when Oihan Sancet brought down López with a reckless challenge.
After a VAR review, he was shown a straight red card, deepening the visitors’ woes.
Back in goal after missing nine matches, Joan Garcia delivered a composed performance, including a fine save from Dani Vivian’s header, helping Barca keep their first clean sheet since September.
Hansi Flick introduced Raphinha in the second half, and the Brazilian nearly scored with a curling attempt moments after coming on.
Barcelona sealed the night in style when Yamal once again released Torres with a clever pass, and the forward coolly finished for his second goal of the match.
The festive mood was evident throughout the evening.
Fireworks lit up the stadium before and after the match, and supporters loudly honoured club legend Lionel Messi in the 10th minute, celebrating the past as they embraced the future.
Nico Williams, meanwhile, was met with a chorus of whistles in response to his decision against joining Barça last summer.
With the comfortable victory, Barcelona move joint top of the table alongside Real Madrid, who play Elche on Sunday.
The club expects to open more sections of the renovated Camp Nou in 2026, with plans to reach full capacity, 105,000 fans, next season.
