Football Result: In a 4-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou on Sunday, Ousmane Dembele transformed the jeers into applause by scoring a magnificent goal and setting up two more. Dembele’s second-half strike was his first since Barcelona told him he should leave if he refused to sign a new contract during the January transfer window. Xavi Hernandez, on the other hand, has pushed on reintegrating Dembele in recent weeks, with Barcelona relying on the 24-year-old to finish in the top four in La Liga.
“Today he is the best Dembele we have seen and that is what we want,” said Xavi.
Barcelona is now in fourth place, one point ahead of Atletico Madrid and only one point behind Real Betis, who were drawn into the fight after losing 2-1 to Sevilla earlier on Sunday.
Second-placed With the win, Sevilla closes the distance on Real Madrid to six points.
Following an impasse in contract discussions, Dembele made his Camp Nou debut in the Europa League against Napoli earlier this month, when Xavi brought him on as a substitute to the wrath of the home fans.
However, many Barcelona fans supported the striker in that game as well, highlighting the emotional bind in which the club’s fans have found themselves, torn between supporting a player Xavi wishes to keep and venting their displeasure with his desire to go for free.
When Dembele was introduced in the 67th minute, they whistled again, but they had no choice but to clap.
After Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had given Barcelona the lead, Dembele used his pace and power to score a superb second goal. In injury time, he set up Luuk de Jong and Memphis Depay with two excellent crosses.
Xavi appeared to have handled the situation as easily as possible, with Dembele visibly celebrating with Barcelona’s coach, who hugged him and patted him on the head.
“It’s not a question for me, it’s a question for the club, for Ousmane,” Xavi said. “His contract ends (in the summer). Nothing can be ruled out in football. He couldn’t play and now he’s playing. He can be the best in his position.”
For the first time since May 2017, Barcelona has scored four goals in three consecutive games, with Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez claiming 11 of them.
Aubameyang’s opener was a difficult finish made to seem simple, with Gerard Pique’s header rebounding against the crossbar and forcing Aubameyang to reposition his feet before volleying in.
Dembele’s was as spectacular, as he received the ball on the left flank and squared up to Athletic’s Inigo Martinez before racing left towards the line and unleashing a drive that went past the near post and into the net.
In injury time, there was still time for two more goals, and Dembele provided both, raising one cross for De Jong to head in before curling another low ball into the six-yard box, where Depay finished on the slide.
For football score, football clubs, football fixtures, football highlights, football match, football team, latest football news, football result, football updates and other football news follow livematchupdatesnews.com.
