Griezmann announces himself to Nou Camp with a brace on home debut
Madrid, Monday
Antoine Griezmann sprinkled some stardust over the Nou Camp and sent a message to the club’s board – you don’t need to sign Neymar.
The £107 million signings scored twice on his home league debut and after the second goal, which put Barcelona ahead against Real Betis, ran to the corner, took a handful of glitter confetti from a stagehand/steward and theatrically threw it into the air as supporters behind the goal cheered almost as loudly as they had for the goal.
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Barcelona won the game 5-2 with Jordi Alba and 21-year-old Carles Perez and Arturo Vidal also scoring – all this with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi not fit and smiling in the stands: this is not a team that looks in need of another forward.
Things had not started well and Griezmann, playing as a false nine, was struggling. Barcelona was on top but Fekir broke on the quarter-hour to fire Sergio Canales’ pass past Marc Andre ter Stegen and put Betis ahead.
Barcelona was creating chances but Rafinha head coach Ernesto Valverde cursing on the touchline after missing two clear-cut chances.
But four minutes before the break Sergio Roberto put Griezmann in with a diagonal pass and he slid in to volley it past Dani Martin in the Betis goal.
He had promised a special celebration but instead, there was an old fashion run back to the halfway line with no more than a few handshakes – something a little more 21st century came in the second half when he scored his second goal. -AFP
