Barcelona have concluded their pre-season tour of Asia in devastating style, dismantling South Korean side Daegu FC in a comprehensive 5-0 victory on Monday. The win was highlighted by a first goal for new signing Marcus Rashford but was soured by a late injury concern for a key young player.
The rout marks Barcelona’s third successive victory on tour, but the game’s turning point came early. After Daegu’s Geovani inexplicably missed an open goal, Barça punished them immediately on the counter, with Gavi firing the La Liga champions ahead.
From that moment on, it was one-way traffic. Robert Lewandowski quickly added a second goal before Gavi grabbed his personal brace just before halftime with a clever dinked finish, capping a superb pre-season for the Spanish midfielder.
After Hansi Flick made 11 changes at the break, the goals continued to flow. 18-year-old striker Toni Fernández scored his first senior goal for the club ten minutes after the restart. The scoring was completed when Marcus Rashford bagged his first goal in a Barcelona shirt, crisply finishing another flowing team move.
Despite the dominant performance and the positive attacking signs, the victory was undermined by a late injury picked up by highly-rated young defender Pau Cubarsí. The extent of the injury is not yet known, but it will be a major concern for manager Hansi Flick.
Barcelona will now return from Asia with a perfect pre-season record and an attack that looks to be in formidable form. While the injury to Cubarsí is a worry, the successful integration of new signings and the impressive performances of their young stars have made it a highly successful tour.