Barca beat Athletic 1-0 with savior substitute Ivan Rakitic

In the last three head to head battle between Barcelona and Athletic Club, Messi’s team could not find the net. And, in the running season, they tasted two times defeat against the same club. Barca beat Athletic 1-0 with savior substitute Ivan Rakitic. Finally, Barca moved to the top by winning the tough competition.

In the La Liga competition, earlier today, the team of Quique Setien won by a 1 - 0 goal. After the last March 2018, it is the very first time of Barcelona that they won against Athletic Bilbao. Now, after the 31st round in La Liga, Barca managed 21 victories and five draws. So, they have gathered the highest 68 points and holding the top position on the point table.

If Real Madrid manages a victory against Mallorca in the upcoming Wednesday, they will move to the top once again. By playing 30 matches, they have collected 65 points so far.

1 GOAL=3 POINTS! pic.twitter.com/NSbvOU7brv
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) June 23, 2020

In the running season, Athletic Bilbao beat Barca twice times already and they got the first real chance. Unai Lopez took the low cross in the 3rd minute of the game. But Ter Stegen stopped the shot.

Just a minute later, Barca found the chance. Suarez got the ball in the dangerous place but failed to take the shot properly. In the return ball, Busquets’s shot was stopped by the post. The local team Barca dominated the ground and controlled the ball most of the time. But Bilbao created the opportunity most of the time. They made an isolated defense. Lionel Messi-Antoine Griezmann-Luis Suarez failed to breach the defense of Athletic Bilbao.

In the 2nd half, Barcelona tried to play their familiar football. By dominating the ground, they tried to make the attacks. Most of the time, the ball was on the Bilbao’s half. But there was no expecting speed noticed in the game.

🇪🇸 #LaLiga
⭕️ FIN del Partido
Barcelona 1⃣🆚0⃣ Athletic
⚽️ GOLES
1-0 (71′) RAKITIC pic.twitter.com/Cu4ToF4432
— Alerta Gol (@GolAlerta) June 23, 2020

In the 54th minute, Barcelona got a chance. Messi found Griezmann in a dangerous place. But the goalkeeper stopped the shot of the French forward. From the two wings, Barcelona could not make the attacks. But they went to attack from the middle. In the 62nd minute, Messi’s free-kick found Vidal but he missed the chance.

In the 71st minute, from the pass of the Barca skipper Lionel Messi, the Croat midfielder Ivan Rakitic found the net and it was the match-winning goal. Against the team Bilbao, Barca found the net after 346 minutes.