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Barcelona defeated Cadiz 4-0 in La Liga on Saturday, September 10.
Cadiz came into this game having lost all four of their opening games, conceding 10 goals and failing to score. Head coach Sergio Gonzalez was eager to sort out their drought in front of goal, let alone their lack of points on the board.
Barcelona, on the other hand, won three and drew one of their opening four fixtures and were second in the table. Robert Lewandowski has been on fire for them, having already scored eight goals this season, including five in La Liga. Xavi Hernandez was keen to lead his men to a win, which would lift them to first place before Real Madrid's game on Sunday.
Both sides made a good start to the game, playing positive football and not being afraid to attack. Barcelona kept possession for 75% of the time in the first half as they looked to break down a resolute Cadiz backline. Memphis Depay made an encouraging start as he ran into channels and in behind the defense.
Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets controlled the midfield with their sharp and accurate passing. They barely allowed the ball to return to their opposition, playing it from side to side in a bid to carve out an opening.
Raphinha had an eventful first half as he was booked for a needless foul. He also attempted a driven shot with his weaker left foot which unfortunately hit the right post and bounced out.
Barcelona continued to look like the stronger of the two teams despite going into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
The second half began in the same fashion as the first. Cadiz played fearlessly as they passed the ball around and tried to find spaces in behind Barcelona's defense.
The visitors grabbed the lead via Frenkie de Jong 10 minutes after the restart. Gavi did well to wriggle through a crowd before providing an assist for de Jong to score from. Sensing the momentum had dropped, Xavi made a triple-change immediately after the goal.
Robert Lewandowski was one of the substitutes who scored in the 65th minute to double Barca's lead. The ball was played into a central area and was left untouched in the middle of the box. Lewandowski beat Luis Hernandez to the ball as he slid in and scored to make it 2-0.
There was a lengthy stoppage in play starting around the 80-minute mark as someone from the home fans required urgent medical assistance. In such moments, people's health is of utmost importance and we hope that the person is in a stable condition soon. Major props to Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma for sprinting to hand a defribillator to the medics in the crowd.
The game resumed following a stoppage in play that lasted nearly 30 minutes.
Barcelona struck twice before the full-time whistle was blown by the referee. Lewandowski first provided an assist for Ansu Fati to score from and then teed up Ousmane Dembele's goal late in the game. The visitors secured a resounding 4-0 win. That said, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.
#5. Hit - Frenkie de Jong
De Jong ran the show for his side as he controlled the midfield along with Busquets. They broke through Cadiz's rigid defense on several occasions with their threaded passes.
De Jong scored the goal that put Barcelona 1-0 up after 55 minutes. He did well to control the pass from Gavi and put it past the goalkeeper.
#4. Flop - Ferran Torres
Torres played yet another game in which his technical abilities masked his ineffectiveness on the pitch. He dribbled the ball well and carried it forward into decent crossing positions. However, he failed to deliver a single accurate cross or long ball.
Torres' lack of end product prompted his manager to take him off the pitch and replace him with Ousmane Dembele. The Frenchman came on and even managed to score in the dying moments of the game.
#3. Hit - Robert Lewandowski
Lewandowski has hit the ground running since his move to Barcelona from Bayern Munich this summer. He scored eight goals in five appearances across competitions prior to coming off the bench tonight.
The Pole took just seven minutes after coming onto the field to get on the scoresheet as he slid to contest a 50-50 ball. Barcelona's lead doubled and Xavi's decision to make the change despite scoring their first moments before seemed to have paid off handsomely.
Following the lengthy stoppage, Lewandowski also provided an assist for Ansu Fati to make it 3-0 after 86 minutes. He provided another late assist for Dembele to score from.
#2. Hit - Sergio Busquets
Busquets has been a mainstay in Barcelona's starting XI since he was introduced into the first team by Pep Guardiola back in 2009. Since then, the lanky Spaniard has made the defensive midfield role his own.
Busquets is one of the very few players in world football who is arguably immune to being pressed. His ability to swivel and turn out of narrow spaces and then pick the right pass to progress the ball helps him stand out from the crowd. He put in a captain's performance as he led Barca to victory.
#1. Hit - Jeremias Ledesma
Ledesma's contribution surpassed any footballing event that took place prior to his incident.
Around the 80-minute mark, officials and fans were frantically signaling for help on the far-right of the stadium. A fan in the stands had a medical emergency and Ledesma was the quickest player to react. He was seen sprinting from his goal to the touchline and back, with a defribillator in his hand which he flung towards the medical staff.
You can watch Ledesma handing the equipment below:
We hope the fan makes a full recovery and are highly appreciative of all the efforts of the medical staff to ensure immediate assistance.
