A rookie goaltender born in 2006 saved the team. FC Barcelona won thanks to the fastest La Liga debut goal in the club’s history by Marc Guiu (17).
Barcelona defeated Athletic Club 1-0 in the 10th round of the 2023-2024 La Liga held at the Estadi Olympique Luiz Kompanis in Barcelona, Spain on the 23rd (Korean time). As a result, Barcelona went undefeated in 12 official games and rose to 3rd place in the league with 24 points (7 wins, 3 draws).
Barcelona used a 4-3-3 formation. Joao Felix, Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopes, Ilkay Gundogan, Oriol Romeu, Gabby, Alejandro Balde, Inigo Martinez, Andreas Christensen, Joao Cancelo, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen were the starters.
It was not an easy game. Barcelona targeted Athletic’s goal based on their high possession, but it rarely came to fruition. Felix’s non-stop shot inside the box in the 10th minute of the first half hit the crossbar, and Fermin’s shot in the 14th minute of the first half was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Athletic’s counterattack was also fierce. Athletic used brothers Iñaki Williams and Nico Williams on both wings to target the space behind Barcelona. However, they also could not get past goalkeeper Ter Stegen.
In the 34th minute of the second half when the score was 0-0, coach Xavi Hernández threw a game-winning move. He made changes by replacing Fermin and Balde with Guiu and Marcos Alonso. Although Gui Wu was nicknamed ‘the next Lewandowski’, he was a surprising choice as he had no professional stage experience yet.
Coach Xavi’s mercenary skills were the right answer. In the 35th minute of the second half, Guiu received Felix’s pass as soon as he entered the stadium, slipped behind the defense, and pierced the goalkeeper with a calm right-footed shot. It took only 33 seconds for Guiu to score after just two touches of the ball.
Barcelona saved Guiu’s first goal well and ended the game with a 1-0 win. It was a valuable three points obtained when main gun Robert Lewandowski left due to injury.짱구카지노
Guiu also rewrote Barcelona’s history. According to soccer statistics media ‘Squawka’, he scored a goal 33 seconds after being introduced in his La Liga debut, setting the record for the fastest debut goal in the club’s history. He had a dream debut, scoring his first shot on the professional stage.
Additionally, Guiu scored his debut goal at the age of 17 years and 291 days, setting the record for the youngest debut goal in Barcelona’s history. After the game, he expressed his overwhelming emotions, saying, “I can’t breathe. I’m just enjoying the moment. I’m still flying in the sky.”
Guiu continued, “I worked hard all season to take any opportunity that came my way. When I saw the goalkeeper come off his line, I decided to take a shot,” he said. “Coach “I was told to take advantage of the opportunity my way,” he added.
Coach Xavi said, “Guiu can score goals and has spark. He is a player I personally like a lot. There are a lot of talented players here at LaMasia, so I have no hesitation in using youth players. “Barcelona gave me the same trust when I was young,” he said, explaining why he gave Guiu a chance.
Veteran midfielder Gundogan also sent a congratulatory message to Guiu. He shared Guiu’s post on social media and added a 100-point emoticon along with the message, “Congratulations on your debut and your first goal. I’m really happy. Let’s keep working hard.”