12 Thursday, August 15, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS F.C. Barcelona cruises to a 4-0 victory against S.S.C Napoli It took 47 minutes for the floodgates to open Saturday evening. Over the course of 15 minutes early in the second half, F.C. Barcelona rattled off four straight goals to power its way to a 4-0 victory over S.S.C. Napoli. The two European clubs squared off in front of a heavily pro-Barcelona crowd of 60,043. It was small by Michigan Stadium standards, especially in light of its soccer history. In 2014, The Big House set the record for the biggest crowd ever at an international soccer match in the United States, attracting 109,318 fans when Manchester United took on Real Madrid. Saturday was the fourth international soccer game that has been played at Michigan Stadium since 2014, drawing the lowest attendance of the four. “In the first half we were very dominant,” said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde through a translator. “We were unable to score, but the game was ours from our point of view. Overall, we had a good game. In the second half we were also dominant, but the game opened up a little more and we were able to pressure and score.” Barcelona is known for is possessive style of play, and it was on full display against Napoli. The Spanish side held possession for 58 percent of the match, completing over 91 percent of its pass attempts. When it didn’t have possession, Barcelona’s defensive pressure often prevented Napoli from working into its attacking third. Barcelona forward Luis Suarez opened up scoring in the 48th minute off a rebound after Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret saved Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann’s one-on- one opportunity. He added another goal 10 minutes later which put his side up 3-0. Newly signed forward Antoine Griezmann also notched his first goal for Barcelona in the 56th minute after making his club debut in late July. He finished on a cross from defender Jordi Alba inside the six-yard box for an easy tap-in score. Forward Ousmane Dembélé added the fourth and final goal in the 63rd minute. Midfielder Frenkie De Jong, Barcelona’s other high-profile signing this summer, found Dembélé with space on the right wing. He cut inside towards the top of the 18-yard box and finished past an outstretched Meret. What started off looking like a stalemate through 47 minutes quickly became a decisive victory for Barcelona. “I think we played well in the first half,” De Jong said. “We didn’t score as many goals, but most of the time in the first half you build it up and in the second half you finish it.” JORGE CAZARES Summer Managing Sports Editor New talent put on display in final tune-up match for F.C Barcelona Two out of four potential trophies made their way home to Catalonia last season. That did not stop a wave of disappointment and criticism from engulfing FC Barcelona this summer. The reality is that winning only two out of four trophies last season is a letdown for a club that has won 74 domestic and 20 international trophies in its storied history. Despite winning La Liga and the Supercopa de España, the team still entered the offseason with a bitter taste in its mouth. Barcelona blew a 3-0 aggregate lead to Liverpool in the Champions League semifinal — allowing four goals in the second leg at Anfield— and lost 2-1 to Valencia in the Copa Del Rey final. Both trophies were seemingly in their grasp but slipped away. This summer, the Spanish side made two big splashes on the transfer market, acquiring a pair of superstars in French forward Antione Griezmann and Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong. Now, more than ever, Barcelona fans expect results. “It’s the last game of the pre-league and we’re going to have to show what we’re doing this year and hopefully show how things will end up in the league,” Valverde said through a translator. “We’re not going to deceive ourselves; the manager of Barcelona is always the one who is asked these questions and people always have to think about when we lose more than when we win. So, we have to be ready to answer those questions. And I’m always the person who needs to be open to speaking about our defeats. We are in the situation where we have to win as many games as possible, and if there are criticisms now for a certain game or something that happened in the past, those are going to be criticisms, but my job is to make sure that we’re winning going forward.” In Saturday’s match, the two new additions started and received ample playing time. Griezmann netted his first goal for Barcelona in the second half after missing a quality opportunity to score from inside the six-yard box in the early minutes of the game. De Jong dominated the midfield — facilitating play in the middle of the pitch and rarely making a mistake. The club fared well, even without forward Lionel Messi, winning easily against last season’s Serie A runner-up. And both De Jong and Griezmann figure to be featured regularly in the starting 11. Though Saturday’s exhibition match was exactly that — an exhibition — it marked the last tune up for the Spanish champions and the final chance for the newcomers to integrate into the lineup before league play begins. JORGE CAZARES Summer Managing Sports Editor ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily Forward Antoine Griezmann scored his first goal for F.C. Barcelona for a 3-0 lead. ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily Forwards Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez scored a combine three goals in win. It’s the last game of the pre-leauge.