Barcelona defeated Al Ahly 2-1 to successfully defend their Joan Gamper Trophy at Spotify Camp Nou.
Goals from Hamza Abdelkarim and Raphinha helped Barcelona secure a 2-1 victory over Al Ahly, retaining their Joan Gamper Cup status ahead of the start of the new season.
Returning to their home ground, Camp Nou, in front of over 54,000 spectators, FC Barcelona completed their pre-season dress rehearsal with a 2-1 victory over Egyptian side Al Ahly to win the Joan Gamper Cup. First-half goals from Hamza Abdelkarim and Raphinha laid the foundation for the win for coach Hansi Flick's team.
Dominating first half and outstanding performances from key players.
Immediately after the opening whistle, Barcelona proactively pushed their formation forward, deploying a control-oriented style of play and constantly stretching Al Ahly's defense with high-speed passing. The mobility on both flanks allowed the Spanish representatives to continuously create suffocating pressure on the opponent's half.
The deadlock was broken in the 29th minute by a well-executed combination on the left flank. Receiving a well-placed pass from Alejandro Balde, young talent Hamza Abdelkarim surged forward and finished with a delicate one-touch shot, beating goalkeeper Al Ahly to open the scoring.
Continuing their momentum, Barcelona maintained a relentless attacking tempo. In the 44th minute, Raphinha capitalized on a chaotic situation in the penalty area to win a penalty. From the penalty spot, the star captain himself decisively struck the ball to make the score 2-0 before halftime.
Experimenting with lineups and a second-half chase.
After the break, the Barcelona coaching staff made several personnel changes to test new tactical options. The slowdown in Barca's tempo allowed Al Ahly to mount a comeback. In the 51st minute, Zizo displayed superb skill in the penalty area before unleashing a powerful shot, reducing the deficit to 1-2 for the Egyptian side.
The goal that narrowed the scoreline opened up the game. New signing Anthony Gordon played aggressively and even put the ball into the net once, but it was disallowed due to a prior foul. Striker Karim Adeyemi also missed several good opportunities to extend the lead.
In the 89th minute, Anthony Gordon earned a second penalty for the home team. However, the English striker failed to beat goalkeeper El Shenawy from the spot. The remaining injury time was not enough for Al Ahly to turn the tide, and they had to accept a 1-2 defeat.
This victory concludes Barcelona's positive preparation phase, giving coach Hansi Flick's team a confident psychological boost before beginning their journey to defend their La Liga title with an away match against Elche this weekend.
