Having closed their pre-season in Asia, Barcelona played their last game before the official start of the LaLiga season with a clash against Como, one of the main sensations in Serie A in 2024/25. This is one of the teams that promise the most attention from Italian fans for the new season. However, despite the retention of Cesc Fabregas and notable reinforcements, Barça took no notice of their opponents and ran out 5-0 winners.
Hansi Flick's team showed the characteristics that are already a hallmark of the reigning Spanish champions' work, with a very aggressive approach to marking and quick actions with possession to set up plays. In the 21st minute, taking advantage of a misplaced pass from the defense in front of the penalty area, Fermín López took control of the pass and shot wide with absolute freedom.
Without showing any difficulty in dominating the game, Barcelona remained extremely comfortable in creating new chances until they extended their lead in the 35th minute. Lamine Yamal tried a one-on-one move down the right, but the ball was left for Fermín López to hit the angle with a fine shot from the edge of the box. Just before half-time, the victory turned into a rout when Marcus Rashford raced down the right on the counter-attack to cross low for Raphinha to score the third goal.
In the closing stages of the first half, Como again made mistakes, showing their nervousness at the adverse result, and ended up conceding Barcelona's fourth goal, when Raphinha stole the ball inside the area and laid it on for Lamine Yamal to tap into the net with absolute ease. After the break, looking to maintain the same intensity, Barça scored their fifth and final goal just four minutes into the second half thanks to Yamal's finish from Ferrán's pass.
Barcelona sends a strong message before the start of LaLiga
Barcelona managed to manage the result without suffering any real danger throughout the second half, and coach Hansi Flick took the opportunity to observe the positioning of some other players, as the starters were rested in the second half. This win may also have been productive for Como to gauge their real strength ahead of the start of Serie A.