Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction

Barcelona recorded a hard-fought 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou on Saturday, with substitute Neymar scoring both goals inside the final 15 minutes of the match.

The hosts struggled to get into a rhythm early against a feisty Athletic side, as both teams got a handful of small chances early. Munir El Haddadi continued his excellent run of form and was a menace for the Basque defence, forcing several good saves from Gorka Iraizoz.

Ander Iturraspe was his usual self, controlling play in the centre of the pitch for the visitors, who comfortably survived Barcelona's waves of attacks and found several chances of their own through Iker Muniain.

The Blaugrana had a penalty shot late in the first half for a shove on El Haddadi in the box, but Carlos Gurpegi was judged not to have used excessive force. The end of the first half certainly belonged to the hosts, as shared by ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

El Haddadi thought he had opened the scoring five minutes into the second half, but the official correctly ruled him offside. The youngster soon made way for Neymar, and Barcelona now started to push the pace in search of a goal.

Ivan Rakitic found himself in excellent position to shoot but couldn't get his effort past Gurpegi, and Neymar just missed the goal from a difficult angle.

The visitors should have been given a penalty when Gerard Pique appeared to kick Muniain in the box, as shared by AS English, but the official refused to blow the whistle:

Instead, the goal fell on the other side of the pitch as Neymar broke the deadlock, taking a beautiful pass from Lionel Messi and calmly sliding his shot underneath Iraizoz.

The Catalans pushed for a second goal and were rewarded just minutes later, as Messi went on a solo run down the right wing before finding Neymar on the edge of the box, and the Brazilian scored his second of the afternoon.

Goal's Cristian Nyari loved what he was seeing from the duo:

Bilbao's spirits were now completely broken, and Barcelona were content to maintain possession of the ball and wait for the final whistle.

Player Grades

Neymar: A

Alex Caparros/Getty Images

El Haddadi did nothing to suggest Luis Enrique made a mistake starting the youngster, but there's no denying Barcelona just looked much more threatening after the introduction of Neymar.

His goals came courtesy of excellent work from Messi, but even before he opened the score, the Brazilian's drive toward goal created most of the danger.

Ivan Rakitic: B+

The Croatian remains one of the most underrated signings of the summer, slotting into Barcelona's starting XI as if he's a graduate from La Masia himself.

His ability to find runners in space gives Barcelona an extra dimension on the counter-attack, and he combined superbly with Sergio Busquets to give the latter the opportunity to contribute further up the pitch.

Carlos Gurpegi: B

Bilbao perhaps deserved a draw at the Camp Nou, but the only reason it took Barcelona 79 minutes to open the score was Gurpegi's sensational positioning.

The 34-year-old no longer boasts the athleticism to keep up with the likes of Neymar and El Haddadi, and there was little he could do about either goal.

Post-Match Reaction

As shared by fcblive (h/t to FC Barcelona Florida), match-winner Neymar only had praise for El Haddadi, the man who kept him on the bench:

He also tried to divert the attention away from his two goals, saying he was happy with his performance and the fact he could help the team, per Barcastuff:

"

Neymar: "Very happy with my game, main thing is that I could help the team. I try to get better for that." #fcblive

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) September 13, 2014"

Barcelona didn't have it easy against a strong Bilbao squad who came to play on Saturday, but the depth of the Catalans made the difference in the end. They'll now prepare for their first UEFA Champions League fixture of the 2014-15 season, where they'll host APOEL Nicosia.

Athletic will do the same, although their task will be a lot harder, welcoming Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.

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