Barça Kicks Off Preseason with Confident Win Over Vissel Kobe
Well, today marked the beginning of a brand-new preseason for FC Barcelona, and honestly, it couldn't have started in a more vibrant setting than the Noevir Stadium in Kobe, Japan. Barça faced off against Vissel Kobe in their first friendly of the 2025/26 campaign — and the match gave us quite a few things to talk about.
Now, just getting this game played was a bit of a challenge in itself. The club actually had to delay their trip to Japan due to some last-minute contractual hiccups with the promoter. Thankfully, Rakuten stepped in to smooth things over, and the team was able to make it in time to take the field.
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Once the whistle blew, Barcelona wasted no time setting the tempo. Eric García, playing out of position at right-back, opened the scoring around the 33rd minute by capitalizing on a loose ball after a corner. However, just before halftime, Vissel Kobe’s star striker Miyashiro managed to level things up with a quick rebound strike, reminding Barça that they weren’t just there for a warm-up.
The second half, though, was all Barça. Hansi Flick decided to shake things up with several changes — and they really paid off. New signings Roony Bardghji and Marcus Rashford both got minutes and made their presence felt. In fact, Bardghji scored a beautiful curling goal assisted by none other than Lewandowski, showing a glimpse of what fans can hopefully expect from him this season.
But the moment that really stole the show came from Dro Fernández — a 17-year-old canterano making his debut for the first team. With calmness well beyond his years, he smashed in a goal from outside the box that sealed the 1-3 win for the Blaugrana. In post-match interviews, Dro admitted he was nervous before the game but said that encouragement from coach Hansi Flick and his teammates helped him settle down.
Flick himself seemed pleased with the performance. In the press conference, he highlighted the contribution of La Masia players and praised the effort of Vissel Kobe, noting that the Japanese side put them under good pressure, especially in the first half.
All in all, it’s still early days, and preseason is more about finding rhythm than results, but this opening win gave a very promising first look at what this squad — both seasoned stars and rising talents — might achieve. Barça now heads to South Korea for their next friendlies against FC Seoul and Daegu FC. If today’s match was any indication, there’s plenty to be excited about this summer.
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