Barcelona beat Bilbao as Rodri makes his first appearance

Barcelona moved to the top of La Liga after defeating Athletic Bilbao, while Rodri made his first appearance for the club. Athletic remain without a point after losing their opening two matches, leaving the Catalans with a strong early return from their first two fixtures.

Rodri began on the bench before entering in midfield around the hour mark. His introduction came after a fast and open first half in which both teams created chances. Raphinha gave Barcelona the lead, while Athletic repeatedly found space on the counter but failed to make their opportunities count. Barcelona also had a goal ruled out for offside and saw Lamine Yamal strike the crossbar.

The hosts continued to threaten after the interval, with Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon making important saves from Xavi Espart and Fermín López. Athletic hit the woodwork as well, but Barcelona remained the more effective side in the decisive moments. Fermín later took advantage of a defensive mistake to secure the result.

The win follows Barcelona’s opening-day success against Elche and confirms their perfect start. For Athletic, the early form is the opposite: two matches played and two losses, with the team still searching for its first points.