Barcelona began their pre-season with a 3-1 win at Vissel Kobe, with Marcus Rashford coming off the bench to make his debut.

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Barcelona presented the iconic No.10 T-shirt, previously worn by legends like Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona, to Lamine Yamal right before kick-off at the Noevir Stadium in Kobe. New signing Rashford, who joined them on loan from Manchester United, was named on the bench.

The hosts had the opportunity to break the deadlock as early as the fifth minute, as Taisei Miyashiro won the ball on the right, entered the penalty box and attempted a shot on goal but Joan Garcia did well to deny him from scoring.

Barcelona, thereafter, took control of the game and the attacking trio of Yamal, Raphinha and Ferran Torres continued to build pressure on the Kobe attack. The visitors finally scored the opening goal just past the half-hour mark. Eric Garcia received the ball inside the Kobe box from a corner and comfortably found the back of the net.

As Barcelona looked to carry a lead into the break, Kobe equalised through Miyashiro's strike. Pau Cubarsi lost control of the ball as Daiju Sasaki took advantage of the situation and attempted a shot. Garcia initially stopped the ball, but Miyashiro scored the leveller from the rebound.

Hansi Flick changed his entire lineup as he brought in fresh 11 legs on the pitch in the second half, including Robert Lewandowski and debutants Rashford and Roony Bardghji. 19-year-old Bardghji, who arrived from Copenhagen this summer, made his debut a memorable one as he scored a cracking goal in the 77th minute, firing in from the edge of the box. Lewandowski followed a pinpoint through ball from Rashford and rushed towards the opposition's goal. The veteran forward then found the teenager and he found the back of the net with a deft finish.

Rashford's Barca debut lasted only 30 minutes as he was replaced by Pedro Fernandez in the 78th minute. Despite getting less game time, the English winger had his moments, including creating the move for the club's second goal. Fernandez, who is from the club's academy, scored a third and final goal in the 87th minute as he found the back of the net with a thunderous first-time long-range strike from the edge of the box.

THE MVP

New Barcelona sensation Bardghji was the most valuable player on the pitch as he scored the all-important goal that restored Barcelona's lead. The young showed early promise with a brilliant goal and was extremely active on the right flank.

NEW FACES

All the new signings - Rashford, Bardghji and Garcia - had impressive outings on their respective debuts for the club. Rashford built the move from which Bardghji eventually scored the second goal, while goalkeeper Garcia was called into action with a number of saves.

ONES TO WATCH

Barcelona fans will be eager to see how youngsters like Bardghji and Fernandez perform once the 2025-26 campaign starts. But for now, they can be relieved with the exuberance that the two youngsters showed on the pitch and helped Barcelona kick off the pre-season in style.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

Barcelona will next travel to South Korea, where they are scheduled to face Jesse Lingard's FC Seoul in another pre-season friendly. (GOAL)

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