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FC Barcelona's French forward Antoine Griezmann (2nd R) chats with Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets (2nd L) during a pre-match training session ahead of the Rakuten Cup football match between Vissel Kobe and FC Barcelona, in Kobe on July 26, 2019. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by STR has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [KAZUHIRO NOGI/STF] instead of [STR]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further KAZUHIRO NOGI/Getty Images

Carles Perez Leads Barcelona Past Vissel Kobe in 2-0 Pre-Season Friendly Win

Gianni VerschuerenJul 27, 2019

Barcelona continued their preparations for the upcoming season with a 2-0 friendly win over Vissel Kobe on Saturday. Carles Perez scored the goals for the Catalans.

Barcelona had a few chances in the first half, but their passing lacked the clinical edge to unsettle Kobe's defence. The second-half substitutes had better luck, and Perez combined with Malcom to open the scoring after 59 minutes. He added a second with four minutes remaining.

Former Blaugrana players Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Sergi Samper all started for the hosts.

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Vissel had a solid start to the match, but throughout the half, the best chances fell to the visitors. Riqui Puig started things off after 12 minutes, missing from close range, and Nelson Semedo nearly opened the scoring after great work from Antoine Griezmann shortly after.

The former Atletico Madrid star impressed sports writer Robbie Dunne, who praised the forward's quick adaptation to the Blaugrana:

The first-half standout for the Catalans was Ivan Rakitic, however, and the Croat was perhaps unlucky not to score after 35 minutes. His shot took a deflection but narrowly missed the target.

Sports writer Samuel Marsden liked what he saw, even if there were no goals before half-time:

Barcelona made a number of changes at half-time, and one of the substitutes, Ousmane Dembele, came close to opening the scoring after an impressive solo effort.

But it was Perez who broke the deadlock just before the hour mark, firing the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Daiya Maekawa after Malcom set him up.

Carles Alena had two good chances to double the lead, and the second in particular should have resulted in a goal. Alone in front of the goalkeeper, he opted for a weak chip that Maekawa easily saved.

The pace of the contest soon dropped again, but there were still chances for Sergi Roberto and Malcom. The latter struck the crossbar with a strong shot before Perez doubled the lead with another clever finish.

Barcelona's next outing will be against Arsenal for the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 4.