"You can already see the class he has" - Barcelona star praises Vitor Roque after the Catalan club's 2-1 win over Las Palmas

Barcelona star Ronald Araujo has praised Vitor Roque after the latter's debut in their team's 2-1 LaLiga win over UD Las Palmas on Thursday (4 January).

Last summer, Barca agreed on a €40 million deal to sign the Brazilian striker from Athletico-PR. However, the player had to wait until the ongoing January transfer window to formally join the Catalan giants.

Roque made his debut against Las Palmas at the Estadio de Gran Canaria, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute for Ferran Torres. The game was still at 1-1, with Torres' 55th-minute strike canceling out Munir's 13th-minute opener.

Ilkay Gundogan then put his team in front with a stoppage-time penalty kick, which he won after being pushed in the back by Daley Sinkgraven. Roque's best chance to score came just a few moments later.

Barcelona launched a devastating counterattack as Las Palmas desperately searched for an equalizer. Lamine Yamal found Joao Felix on the left flank, with the Portuguese playing in a delicious ball for Roque inside the box.

The Brazilian striker, however, shot the ball narrowly wide of the right post. After the game, Araujo, who played the full 90 minutes at centre-back, said, via journalist Gabriel Sans (h/t @barcacentre):

"Vitor Roque is a player who is going to give us a lot. You have to be calm with him but you can already see the class he has."

During his cameo, the Brazilian striker recorded three shots and four touches inside the opposition box. Before his move to Barca,

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Xavi Hernandez says Barcelona will fight for the title after Las Palmas win

Barcelona were 10 points adrift of league-leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Girona before their game against UD Las Palmas, albeit with a game in hand.

However, an inspired second-half performance ensured that they left the Canary Islands with all three points. After the game, Xavi Hernandez made a bullish claim that his team will fight for the league title despite their mixed start to the league season.

The Spanish tactician said (h/t @barcatimes on X):

"Winning the league? This is the goal. We'll fight till the end."

Barcelona, of course, won the league title last season for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign. They beat Real Madrid, who finished as runner-up, by a sizable 10-point margin. Los Blancos, however, lead the table this term, with 48 points at the halfway point of the LaLiga season.