Barcelona kicked off their pre-season tour of Asia with a 3-1 victory over Vissel Kobe in Japan on Sunday, thanks to late goals from new signing Roony Bardghji and teenage sensation Pedro Fernandez.
The match also saw Marcus Rashford make his first appearance in a Barça shirt following his move from Manchester United. However, it was Bardghji, a summer signing from FC Copenhagen, and 17-year-old La Masia graduate Fernandez who stole the spotlight with two brilliant goals in the final 15 minutes.
Eric Garcia had earlier opened the scoring for the Spanish champions, turning in from close range after a strong start. Vissel Kobe responded just before half-time when Taisei Miyashiro pounced on a rebound after goalkeeper Joan Garcia, on debut from Espanyol, initially denied Daiju Sasaki.
With no international commitments or Club World Cup involvement this summer, coach Hansi Flick was able to bring a full-strength squad to Asia. That depth showed as Barça made 11 changes at the break, giving minutes to nearly the entire team.
After the interval, Rashford and Dani Olmo came close to restoring the lead before Rashford played a key role in the move that led to the breakthrough. The England international linked with Robert Lewandowski, who teed up Bardghji to curl home a fine finish from 18 yards.
The win was sealed when Fernandez, making his first senior appearance, smashed in a third goal from the edge of the box — a dream debut for the highly rated midfielder.
Barcelona now head to South Korea for the next leg of their tour, with matches against FC Seoul on Thursday and Daegu FC on Monday.
LND/NE
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