Antoine Griezmann scored twice for Barça at Camp Nou on Sunday night in a 5-2 win over Real Betis, to round off the last match in the second weekend of La Liga‘s new season.
A superb Barcelona performance also delivered a emphatic response to doubts arising from their defeat by Athletic Bilbao last weekend, among them a reliance on Messi, the need for Neymar and the future of Ernesto Valverde as coach.
As Carles Perez, Jordi Alba and Arturo Vidal made it five goals in total, the doom and gloom was quickly forgotten, and despite Nabil Fekir‘s opening goal in the 15th minute, that also saw Betis level at half-time.
‘After a defeat, there is always a big reaction,’ Griezmann said. ‘We really wanted to play another game and when so many players are missing, the team steps up.’
Barcelona will hope to have Messi back for the trip to Osasuna next weekend but Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele will both be out of action for longer.
Whether it also affects the club’s attempts to prise Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain remains to be seen.
Barcelona stay behind Atletico Madrid, who maintained their perfect start with another 1-0 victory, this time over Leganes as Vitolo came off the bench to score a second-half winner at Butarque.
Joao Felix, Atletico’s 126 million-euro buy from Benfica and much-hailed replacement for Griezmann, was again quiet but again delivered the match’s most memorable moment.
The 19-year-old’s perfectly-timed pass provided set Vitolo free while Felix had been picked out by Kieran Trippier, who was faultless on his second Atletico start.
On Saturday, Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Valladolid.
ALSO READ: La Liga round-up – opening weekend
La Liga results for the Matchday 2 (of 38) played between 23-25 August:
Played Friday 23 August
Granada 0 Sevilla 1
Levante 2 Villarreal 1
Played Saturday 24 August
Osasuna 0 Eibar 0
Real Madrid 1 Valladolid 1
Celta Vigo 1 Valencia 0
Getafe 1 Athletic Bilbao 1
Played Sunday 25 August
Alaves 0 Espanyol 0
Mallorca 0 Real Sociedad 1
Leganes 0 Atletico Madrid 1
Barcelona 5 Real Betis 2
La Liga Table – Monday 26 August 2019
(Played, Won, Drawn, Lost, Goals For/Against, Points)
Sevilla 2 2 0 0 3 0 6
Atletico Madrid 2 2 0 0 2 0 6
Real Madrid 2 1 1 0 4 2 4
Valladolid 2 1 1 0 3 2 4
Athletic Bilbao 2 1 1 0 2 1 4
Real Sociedad 2 1 1 0 2 1 4
Alaves 2 1 1 0 1 0 4
Osasuna 2 1 1 0 1 0 4
Barcelona 2 1 0 1 5 3 3
Levante 2 1 0 1 2 2 3
Mallorca 2 1 0 1 2 12 3
Celta Vigo 2 1 0 1 2 3 3
Villarreal 2 0 1 1 5 6 1
Granada 2 0 1 1 4 5 1
Eibar 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
Getafe 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
Valencia 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
Espanyol 2 0 1 1 0 2 1
Leganes 2 0 0 2 0 2 0
Real Betis 2 0 0 2 3 7 0