Barcelona celebrated their long-awaited return to the revamped Camp Nou on Saturday with a commanding 4-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, drawing level with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
The champions had originally planned to reopen their iconic ground last year, but construction delays extended their exile to more than two years. Their homecoming, witnessed by over 45,000 supporters in the partially opened stadium, was accompanied by fireworks and a near sell-out crowd despite steep ticket prices.
Robert Lewandowski set the tone early, scoring in the fourth minute after Eric Garcia—deployed in midfield due to Frenkie de Jong’s suspension—won the ball high up the pitch. Lewandowski’s low drive slipped past Unai Simón, who might have done better to keep it out.
Ferran Torres added two goals, while Fermin López also found the net in what became a comfortable afternoon for Hansi Flick’s side. Athletic’s hopes faded further when Oihan Sancet was sent off following a VAR review for a rash challenge on López.
Barcelona welcomed back goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who kept a clean sheet in his first appearance after missing nine matches through injury. The shutout was the club’s first since September.
The atmosphere at the renovated stadium mixed nostalgia with celebration. Fans chanted Lionel Messi’s name in the 10th minute, while Nico Williams was booed throughout the game following his decision not to join the club.
Athletic threatened sporadically—Unai Gómez and Williams both went close—but Barcelona’s control was rewarded again just before half-time. Lamine Yamal unlocked the defence with a clever outside-of-the-boot pass, allowing Torres to double the lead.
The third goal came shortly after the restart, with Eric Garcia once again pressing high before setting up López for a tidy finish. After Sancet’s dismissal, Barcelona continued to dictate play, with Raphinha returning from injury to nearly score moments after coming on.
Yamal capped an impressive performance late on, producing another incisive pass for Torres to slot home his second of the match and conclude a triumphant return to Camp Nou.
Barcelona aim to expand capacity further next season and return to a full 105,000-seat stadium by 2026, but their first step back on home turf could hardly have been more convincing.
