Spain: Barcelona played their first match at Olympic Stadium

source: StadiumDB.com; author: Mateusz Osmola

Spain: Barcelona played their first match at Olympic Stadium Blaugrana played their first LaLiga encounter at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Sunday. The attendance at FC Barcelona's temporary home for the inaugural game of the season was not impressive, but the club managed to secure the victory.

Advertisement

Cádiz CF came to the Catalan capital to compete in the second round of the Spanish elite competition. It was the first league match at Barça's new home ground, Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Camp Nou is currently in the process of redevelopment, which makes it impossible to play games there. Barcelona played a pre-season friendly at the Olímpic Stadium at the beginning of August, but Sunday's game was the first imprtant match at the venue, which previously served as the home of RCD Espanyol between 1997 and 2009.

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys © Volkanikz (cc: by)

The match attracted 39,603 spectators, around 80% of the arena's total capacity of 49,472. Goals from Pedri and Ferran Torres secured three points for Xavi's team in a match in which Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever Barcelona player to feature in the starting eleven in a LaLiga match, aged just 16 years and 38 days.

Barcelona will play at Estadi Olímpic until November 2024, while work on the Camp Nou continues. The club has predicted that during the temporary move, matchday revenues will fall by almost €100 million. Barcelona president Joan Laporta said in January that the potential loss makes him "dizzy". The Olympic Stadium, which was formerly known as Estadio de Montjuïc, is owned by Barcelona City Council. It was used as the main arena for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Ahead of yesterday's match, Barcelona advised fans to arrive at the stadium early, with the gates opening 90 minutes before kick-off. Supporters were also advised to use public transport as parking at the stadium has limited spaces. After the match, Xavi said: I really liked how the fans supported the team the whole time. This is very positive for the club. The crowd responded nicely. It was a good start and they will keep supporting us even more.

Spotify Camp Nou© Espai Héctor

Advertisement