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Suarez double gives Atletico win at Getafe in Spain

It was the 20th straight match without a loss against Getafe, which hadn’t scored since its last victory against Atletico in 2011.

Luis Suarez needed a little more than 10 minutes to make up for his slow start to the season.

Suarez scored two late goals to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win at Getafe in the Spanish league on Tuesday, ending the team’s two-match winless streak and extending a decade-long unbeaten run against its Madrid rival.

After scoring only once in his first six matches this season, Suarez got the equalizer in the 78th minute and the winner in the 90th to boost Atletico after two 0-0 draws.

Luis Suarez needed a little more than 10 minutes to make up for his slow start to the season.

Suarez scored two late goals to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win at Getafe in the Spanish league on Tuesday, ending the team’s two-match winless streak and extending a decade-long unbeaten run against its Madrid rival.

After scoring only once in his first six matches this season, Suarez got the equalizer in the 78th minute and the winner in the 90th to boost Atletico after two 0-0 draws.

“A comeback win like this, with the team trailing late, will help boost the team’s morale,” Suarez said.

“We know we have to fix a few things. We have to keep improving.”

It was the 20th straight match without a loss against Getafe, which hadn’t scored since its last victory against Atletico in 2011.

Getafe played with 10 men from the 74th because of a red card shown to midfielder Carles Alena. It had opened the scoring with a header by Stefan Mitrovic late in the first half for his first goal since joining the club this season.

The victory moved Atletico back to the top of the league with 14 points, one more than Real Madrid which hosts promoted Mallorca on Wednesday.

Second-to-last Getafe remained one of the two teams yet to earn points in the league this season, along with Alaves.

“It’s frustrating to leave without any reward after we played a great match,” Getafe defender Jorge Cuenca said.
The hosts allowed Atletico to take full control of the match after Alena was sent off for a foul from behind on Atletico forward Matheus Cunha.

After missing a few good chances and hitting the crossbar, Suarez evened the match four minutes after the red card for Alena with a left-footed shot from inside the area. He netted the winner with a close-range header for his third goal of the season. The Uruguay striker, who joined from Barcelona, was Atletico’s top scorer in its title-winning campaign last season.

Antoine Griezmann started for Atletico after being on the bench against Porto last week. He was replaced by Cunha in the 67th after another lackluster performance.

Atletico was without Portugal forward Joao Felix. He was handed a two-match suspension after earning a red card- a yellow for a foul and a red for then complaining to the referee- in the draw against Bilbao on Saturday.

Mexican forward Jose Juan Macias made his first league start for Getafe.

FALCAO’S WINNER

Newly signed forward Radamel Falcao scored his second goal of the season with a header in the sixth minute of stoppage time to give Rayo Vallecano a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao.

Falcao had scored his first goal after coming off the bench in his debut with Rayo last Saturday.
The 35-year-old Colombia veteran signed with Rayo as a free agent.

CELTA’S FIRST WIN

Celta Vigo won 2-0 at Levante for its first victory of the season with goals from Iago Aspas in the 66th and Brais Mendez in the 85th.

Roger Marti missed a 71st-minute penalty kick for Levante, which has lost twice and drawn four games. (AP)

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BARCELONA HOLD HOUR-LONG EMERGENCY MEETING, NAME KOEMAN REPLACEMENT

The Barcelona board reportedly held a second emergency meeting following Monday night’s 1-1 draw with Granada to discuss Ronald Koeman’s future at the club. The Dutchman has faced increased questions on whether he’s the right man for the job at Barcelona following last week’s disappointing 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.

Barcelona failed to register a single shot on target in the match with reports in Spain stating club president Joan Laporta held a meeting with board members to discuss how best to move forward.

The main topic of discussion was said to be Koeman’s position as Barcelona manager, but no decision was made at the time whether to actively look for a replacement.

But there is seemingly now more pressure from those on the board at Barcelona to find a new manager for the club.

Barcelona were once again not at their best against Granada, with the visitors taking an early 1-0 lead.

Ronald Araujo saved Barcelona’s blushes late on with an equaliser in the final few minutes of the match.

However, a second board meeting is said to have taken place in the immediate aftermath of the game at the Nou Camp.

According to ESPN, Laporta held an ‘hour-long emergency meeting’ to further discuss Koeman’s future with the board of directors.

It is claimed that no ‘rash’ decision will be made though, in part due to a lack of options currently being available.

Laporta is said to be after someone who is able to step in and take on the long-term project at Barcelona.

And sporting advisor Jordi Cruyff has reportedly thrown his support behind Belgium boss Roberto Martinez.

Barcelona icon Xavi is also touted as an option the club are looking at with another alternative not named but someone who ‘has a strong history with the club’.

Koeman still has time to win over his doubters, but much will depend on results this week.

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Barcelona held by winless Granada at Camp Nou in Liga

Barcelona needed a 90th-minute equalizer by defender Ronald Araujo, sparking jeers by many in the crowd of nearly 27,000 on Monday.

Less than a week after a demoralizing loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Barcelona faltered at Camp Nou again, being held by winless Granada 1-1 in the Spanish league.

Barcelona needed a 90th-minute equalizer by defender Ronald Araujo, sparking jeers by many in the crowd of nearly 27,000 on Monday.

The setback followed the 3-0 rout by Bayern in the team’s first defeat since losing Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain, and added pressure on coach Ronald Koeman and club president Joan Laporta.

Granada came to Barcelona winless in four matches and coming off two consecutive losses, including at home against Real Betis in the Andalucia derby last week. It defeated Barcelona at Camp Nou the last time they met in April.

“It’s a shame,” Araujo said.

“If we had been able to score earlier we could have gotten the victory. After the early goal they sat back on defense and that made it difficult for us.”

The draw left Barcelona in seventh place, five points from leader Real Madrid with a game in hand.

Coached by former Spain manager Robert Moreno, Granada opened the scoring two minutes into the match with a header by Domingos Duarte off a set-piece.

Barcelona squandered two great chances to equalize before halftime Sergi Roberto hit the crossbar from inside the area and Araujo’s header was brilliantly saved by Granada goalkeeper Luis Maximiano.

Memphis Depay and Luuk de Jong also failed to capitalize on scoring chances in the second half, but Araujo finally broke through with a close-range header in the 90th.

“We know that Barca isn’t going through a good moment and it was important to try to take advantage of that early on,” Duarte said.

“Earning a point at Camp Nou is always good but we came close to getting the three points. In the end they had many chances too. It was a fair result.”

Koeman couldn’t count on several players because of injuries, including Jordi Alba and Pedri Gonzalez.

He added a few youngsters in the second half, including Riqui Puig and 17-year-old Gavi, who set up Araújo’s equalizer. Philippe Coutinho was one of the players replaced.

Veteran defender Gerard Pique played as a striker after coming into the game in the final minutes.

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VINICIUS, BENZEMA ON TARGET AS REAL MADRID RALLY TO LATE WIN OVER VALENCIA

Real Madrid forwards Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema scored within the space of three minutes deep in the second half to propel their side to a 2-1 win at Valencia in LaLiga on Sunday after being outplayed for most of the game.

The hosts went ahead in the 66th minute with a thumping low strike from forward Hugo Duro, who spent last season on loan with Madrid.

Real levelled with a deflected strike from Vinicius in the 86th minute and then the Brazilian turned provider, crossing for Benzema to head home the winner in the 88th.

Valencia would have gone top of LaLiga had they held on for the win but instead Carlo Ancelotti’s Real side lead the standings with 13 points from five games.

“It’s never easy to come here especially when you concede the first goal but we never gave in, we kept working and kept persisting,” said Vinicius.

“We’ve got a great result here thanks to the work of the whole team and things are coming off for us right now.”

The win was on the back of another Real late show in midweek when Brazilian forward Rodrygo struck in the 89th minute to secure a 1-0 victory at Internazionale in their first Champions League group game.

Valencia had made a strong start to the season under new coach Jose Bordalas but suffered a setback in the build-up to kick off when captain Jose Gaya was ruled out injured.

More problems followed as midfielder Carlos Soler, who scored a hat-trick of penalties in last season’s fixture against Real, came off injured in the 15th minute while right back Thierry Correia soon followed him in hobbling off in the 23rd.

But Bordalas’ side still managed to outrun and overpower their opponents for most of the game and took a deserved lead when Duro swivelled to send a bouncing ball beyond the reach of keeper Thibaut Courtois and into the net.

Valencia continued to cause Real problems but eased off in the final 10 minutes and the visitors made the most of their deadly firepower, Vinicius scoring his fifth goal of the season and Benzema netting a sixth after bagging a hat-trick against Celta Vigo last week.

“We know what Real Madrid are like, we know they can turn the game around at any stage,” said Duro.

“We had a tough game, we got two early injuries but still managed to go ahead then the victory escaped from our grasp and they made us pay in two isolated moves. We were very unlucky to not at least get a draw today.”

Ancelotti added: “I have a squad who fight all the time, always, playing well or playing badly. It’s a team that keeps believing to the end, that’s the feeling I have today.

“What we did well was the counterattacks in the first half. But we didn’t have aggression at the back. It can happen, you sit back, and they score. After that the reaction was good, Valencia worked hard in the first half, they ran a lot, I put some fresh players on the pitch and we won the game.

“The subs did well, they came on with motivation and enthusiasm, that changed the game.”

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ANSU FATI NAMED BARCA’S NEW NO.10 AFTER MESSI DEPARTURE

Ansu Fati has been given the No. 10 shirt at Barcelona after it was vacated by Lionel Messi’s move to Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the summer, the club confirmed Wednesday.

Sources told ESPN that Barca had considered leaving the number unused for the 2021-22 season, but LaLiga rules that first-team players must wear numbers 1-25 made that difficult.

Ansu, who returned to training recently following nine months out with a knee injury, had originally been given the No. 17 shirt for the upcoming campaign and has previously worn No. 22 and No. 33 since making his debut in 2019.

Messi, who joined PSG on a free transfer after his contract at Camp Nou expired, had worn the No. 10 at Barca since 2008, having previously worn No. 30 — the number he now wears in France — and No. 19.

The Argentina forward inherited the No. 10 from Ronaldinho, with Juan Roman Riquelme and Rivaldo among those to wear it before him.

Ansu, 18, has not played for Barcelona since injuring a knee against Real Betis last November. Following several operations, he returned to full training at the end of August, and Barca hope he will be available for action later in September.

The Spain international burst onto the scene in 2019, becoming the club’s youngest debutant in 78 years when he featured in a 5-2 win against Betis aged 16 years and 298 days.

A week later, he became the club’s youngest goalscorer in LaLiga when he netted against Osasuna, and in December of that year, his winning goal against Inter Milan made him the youngest scorer in the Champions League.

In total, he has made 41 appearances for the first team, scoring 13 goals.

Ansu will now form part of a new-look attack at Barcelona after Antoine Griezmann followed Messi out of the door on Tuesday, joining former club Atletico Madrid on loan with an option to stay permanently.

Barca responded by signing striker Luuk de Jong on loan from Sevilla, having already brought in Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero on free transfers this summer. Martin Braithwaite and Ousmane Dembele, who is currently injured, are their other options in attack, along with youngster Yusuf Demir.

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FIFA says La Liga’s case against player release for World Cup qualifiers rejected

The CAS has rejected La Liga’s complaint against players being mandated to play FIFA World Cup qualifiers in South America with little rest time before resuming matches for their clubs.

The Court of Arbitration has rejected the Spanish league’s complaint against players being mandated to play World Cup qualifiers in South America with little rest time before resuming matches for their clubs.

While world football’s governing body said the “decision confirms the legality of FIFA’s decision,” it was not immediately clear if the CAS ruling was focused only on the admissibility of the case being launched by the Spanish league.

CAS told The Associated Press that “the reasons for the decision are not known yet,” while confirming it dismissed La Liga’s “appeal and urgent request for provisional measures against FIFA.”

FIFA could not immediately provide further clarity.

FIFA extended the international window next month to allow South American teams to play a third World Cup qualifier less than two days before domestic leagues are due to resume in Europe.

The Spanish league said “it will continue with procedures in various judicial bodies since FIFA’s decision on the alteration of the international match calendar transcends this specific problem; it is a clear declaration of intent to infringe on the autonomy of domestic leagues, in an abuse of rights.”

However, La Liga has offered clubs charter flights for affected players and requested that the Spanish football federation postpones fixtures or adjusts kickoff times for games scheduled for immediately after the international break.

“We emphasize that, due to FIFA’s decision, the affected players will rejoin their club teams on Friday after having played three games, and many of them will play league matches on Saturday or Sunday, clearly not being in a position to compete under equal conditions with their clubs,” the Spanish league said in a statement.

The leagues in England, Spain, Italy and France have criticized FIFA for ordering players to travel for the triple-header of games next week in South America.

English clubs told players they will be blocked from going to countries on the U.K. red list of nations, including all of South America, which requires 10 days of mandatory hotel quarantine upon return.

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Memphis Depay leads Barcelona to narrow victory over Getafe

Memphis Depay, who scored the winner in Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Getafe, had also scored in his team’s 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao last weekend.

Memphis Depay continued his good run with Barcelona, scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory over Getafe in the Spanish league on Sunday.

It was Depay’s second league goal for Barcelona, which has won two of its first three matches in its first season without Lionel Messi in nearly two decades.

Messi was expected to make his debut with Paris Saint-Germain later Sunday after the Catalan club failed to give him a new contract because of its financial struggles.

Depay, Barcelona’s biggest offseason signing, had also scored in the team’s 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao last weekend. He found the net Sunday after a neat move in front of a defender inside the area, sending a low shot inside the near post in the 30th minute.

Sergi Roberto had opened the scoring two minutes into the match at the Camp Nou Stadium after a cross by Jordi Alba.

“We were coming off a draw so we needed the win no matter what ahead of the international break,” said Roberto, who had also scored in Barcelona’s 4-2 win against Real Sociedad in the opener. “It was a difficult match but we came through with the victory.”

Getafe, which has lost three straight to start the league, equalized with a shot from Sandro Ramírez in the 18th. It was Getafe’s first league goal of the season.

“It’s been a tough start to the season for us but we have to keep working hard to try to recover,” said Ramírez, a former Barcelona player.

Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite, who scored twice in the opener against Sociedad, had a goal disallowed for offside near the end of the match.

Depay nearly added his second from close range in the 85th, but sent the ball over the crossbar.

More than 26,000 fans were allowed at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona was without veteran defender Gerard Piqué because of a muscle injury.

The Catalan club has seven points, the same as rival Real Madrid which won 1-0 at Real Betis on Saturday. Sevilla, Valencia and Mallorca also have seven points.

Defending champion Atlético Madrid can become the only team with three straight victories to start the league if it defeats Villarreal at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium later Sunday.

Sevilla also entered the weekend with two wins but was held to a 1-1 draw at Elche on Saturday.

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Real Madrid win at Betis amid Mbappe transfer talk

The match was Madrid’s last before the summer transfer window closes Tuesday night.

Amid reports in the Spanish capital that Kylian Mbappe could soon be on his way, Real Madrid won 1-0 at Real Betis in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Right back Dani Carvajal volleyed in a pass from Karim Benzema in the 61st minute on a counterattack led by Vinicius Junior, who again proved decisive to Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

The match was Madrid’s last before the summer transfer window closes Tuesday night. Paris Saint-Germain acknowledged this week that it had rejected an offer from Madrid to sign Mbappe. But the French club added that it was still open to negotiations over a blockbuster move for the player seen by many as soccer’s leading talent for years to come.

“I think that (Ancelotti) has said it, anything that helps the squad is good, so I hope that we can strengthen the squad in the days that are left,” Carvajal said when asked about the possibility of Mbappe moving to Madrid.

Madrid president Florentino Perez was in the stands at Benito Villamarin Stadium, where it appeared that he was keeping a close eye on his phone.

But club official Emilio Butragueno and Ancelotti were reticent to talk.

“We understand that people are waiting for news . but the truth is that we have nothing to say,” Butragueno said.

While Ancelotti said that it “was an issue for the club” and only wanted to talk about his team’s victory, Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said he would love to be able to sign such a top player, knowing that it is impossible for a club that was unable to pay Lionel Messi’s wages.

“If Madrid has the money, it should sign (Mbappe),” Koeman said. “He is one of the best players in the world. I too would love him for my team.”

Vinicius was the focus of Madrid’s attack in the Brazilian’s first start of the season after he had come off the bench to score goals in a 4-1 win at Alaves and a 3-3 draw at Levante.

Eden Hazard lost his spot in the starting 11 amid rumors that he could be on the move to Juventus to fill the hole left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United in this summer’s shuffle of soccer’s top stars. Hazard went on in the 77th to replace Vinicius.

VINICIUS LEADS

Without injured midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to control the ball, Madrid sought to attack through the pace of Vinicius. He showed how dangerous he can be, even when marked, five minutes into the match when he dribbled down the end line and passed to Benzema, whose shot just missed the post by inches.

Betis settled down once midfielder Sergio Canales latched onto the ball and guided the hosts into Madrid’s half. Nabil Fekir then added some punch with a free kick that forced Thibaut Courtois to make a save in the 11th.

The vibrant exchange became bogged down when the action turned physical in the final minutes of the first half. The referee handed out five yellow cards in quick succession, including one for Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini for complaining.

Vinicius engaged Madrid again after the restart, using a brilliant change of foot and spin to leave two defenders going the wrong way as the visitors pressed Betis into its area.

The 21-year-old Vinicius was key to Carvajal’s goal, sprinting to keep the ball from going out of play. Vinicius then found Benzema to set up Carvajal for the winner.

Koeman’s Barcelona hosts Getafe on Sunday, when Messi could make his debut for PSG in France. Also Sunday, defending champion Atletico Madrid hosts Villarreal and is seeking a third straight victory.
KOUNDE RESTS

Jules Kounde did not travel with Sevilla, which drew 1-1 at Elche, amid speculation that Chelsea is interested in securing the transfer of the central defender.

Inaki William’s first-half goal helped Athletic Bilbao win 1-0 at Celta Vigo, the first victory of the season for the Basque Country club.

Williams was set up by Oihan Sancet after he fought to win a long ball from Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, who made his first start of the season.

Real Sociedad beat Levante 1-0.

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WEEKEND ROUND-UP: Ronaldo and Bale catch the eye but neither Juventus nor Real Madrid manage a win

Soccer Football - Italy - Serie A - Udinese v Juventus - Dacia Arena, Udine, Italy - August 22, 2021 Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo scores a goal that is later disallowed after a VAR review REUTERS/Massimo Pinca

Former team-mates Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines on Sunday in contrasting fashion, but their respective clubs of Real Madrid and Juventus were held to disappointing draws.

The duo combined to help the Bernabeu outfit win four Champions League titles during a glittering era of success for the LaLiga side and once again were the talk of Europe this weekend.

Welsh international Bale scored his first Madrid goal in two years, having enjoyed a loan spell at old side Tottenham last season, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men had to settle for a point at Levante.

Roger Marti and Jose Campana struck after the break to turn the game on its head and when Rober Pier made it 3-2 with 11 minutes left, the hosts looked on course for a memorable triumph but substitute Vinicius Junior added to his earlier equaliser with another to clinch a 3-3 draw.

Over in Italy, Ronaldo made headlines before a ball had been kicked at Udinese after he was only named among the substitutes.

Sky in Italy reported the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had asked not to start with the Portuguese ace linked with a move away from Turin this summer due to only one year being left on his contract.

Early goals from Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado put the visitors on their way to three points without Ronaldo and while he was introduced on the hour mark, Udinese were able to mount an excellent second-half comeback.

Roberto Pereyra, formerly of Watford, reduced the deficit from the penalty spot before another ex-Hornets man in Gerard Deulofeu earned the hosts a share of the spoils with the equaliser with seven minutes left.

Elsewhere in Serie A, Tammy Abraham registered two assists as Jose Mourinho got off to a winning start as Roma manager with a 3-1 triumph over Fiorentina

Napoli also got off the mark on the opening weekend but survived playing the majority of their game against newly-promoted Venezia with 10 men after Victor Osimhen had seen red in the 23rd-minute. Goals by Lorenzo Insigne and Eljif Elmas earned all three points.

Bologna edged out new boys Salernitana in a five-goal thriller where Marko Arnautovic was on target for the victors.

Prior to Madrid dropping points in LaLiga, reigning champions Atletico had started the defence of their title with a trademark 1-0 win over Elche.

Angel Correa grabbed the only goal of the contest while Mikel Oyarzabel helped Real Sociedad see off Rayo Vallecano by the same score.

There was drama aplenty in Ligue 1 too where Nice’s match with Marseille was abandoned after the home fans stormed onto the pitch midway through the second half

Kasper Dolberg had put the hosts ahead in the 49th minute but a fiery encounter where seven yellow cards were handed out spilled over late on Allianz Riviera.

After Marseille’s Dimitri Payet responded to a bottle being thrown at him by chucking it back into the crowd, fans of Nice entered the pitch and both sets of players were taken off after a coming together.

While Nice returned to the field of play to resume the game, the visitors had made the decision to leave with the referee forced to abandon the fixture.

Moussa Dembele struck a brace for Lyon but they were held to a 3-3 draw by Clermont and Metz, Bordeaux and Strasbourg could only draw at home to Reims, Angers and Troyes respectively while Montpellier saw off Lorient 3-1.

Bayern Munich claimed a first win of the new Bundesliga season thanks to Serge Gnabry’s brace against Cologne.

Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Julian Nagelsmann’s side before Gnabry doubled their advantage, but the visitors hit back through Anthony Modeste and Mark Uth.

It was left to ex-Arsenal winger Gnabry to secure a maiden league win for the new manager in charge when he drilled home with 19 minutes left in Munich.

Hoffenheim and Union Berlin also played out an entertaining match on Sunday with the spoils shared after a 2-2 draw.

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LA LIGA: BARCELONA BEGINS POST-MESSI ERA WITH WIN OVER REAL SOCIEDAD, ATLETICO MADRID VICTORIOUS IN ILL-TEMPERED CLASH

Barcelona started life without Lionel Messi by defeating Real Sociedad 4-2 in their LaLiga opener at the Camp Nou on Sunday even if fans admitted it felt like “a leap into the unknown”.

Captain Gerard Pique gave them a 19th minute lead with his 50th goal for the club.

Martin Braithwaite found the net in first half injury time and in the 59th minute. Sergi Roberto added a fourth in the last minute of the game.

Just over 20,000 fans were in attendance as crowds returned for the first time since the pandemic.

However, they had to hold their breath at one stage when Sociedad came back from 3-0 down to get to 3-2 thanks to goals from 20-year-old Julen Lobete in the 82nd minute and a 30-metre free-kick from skipper Mikel Oyarzabal three minutes later.

Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi called time on his two-decade career at Barcelona last week and moved to Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi’s memory lingered heavy over the Camp Nou on Sunday despite the removal of a giant photograph of the Argentine superstar from the entrance in the wake of his move to France.

Some banners were in place well before kick-off venting the fans anger towards president Joan Laporta.

One read “Laporta, Barca is not your business”, while another proclaimed “Barca yes, Laporta no!”

“It was a big emotional blow,” said 23-year-old Barca fan Adria De Lucas.

“I was in my room when I saw the news. I started sending messages to all my friends, and no one believed it. It was emotionally hard.”

The supporter added: “It’s a leap into the unknown (without Messi). We will see what happens.”

Inside the Camp Nou, fans made the most of their return after 18 months, chanting “Messi! Messi!”.

Banners expressed their “eternal gratitude”.

“The supporters are with us, they want to see football,” said Pique.

“We knew they were going to react that way. We all know what Leo represents, but everything changes and we have to keep going.

“We will be very competitive and we will fight for titles to the end. We will not have his talent, but we have proven that we can all play together.”

LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid got their season underway with a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo.

Angel Correa gave Atletico the lead after 23 minutes after being set up by Thomas Lemar.

Correa added a second goal in the 64th minute just five minutes after Iago Aspas had pulled Celta level from the penalty spot.

However, the game was marred by a mass brawl in the closing stages following a foul on Atletico striker Luis Suarez.

Red cards were brandished for Hugo Mallo of Celta and Mario Hermoso of Atletico.

In Sunday’s late game, Sevilla defeated Rayo Vallecano 3-0 with Moroccan international Youssef En-Nesyri scoring a first-half penalty before new Argentine recruit Erik Lamela grabbed two.

Vallecano played 75 minutes a man short after goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of French football legend Zinedine, was red-carded for bringing down Oussama Idrissi in the move which led to the penalty.