Barcelona closed their preseason campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Egyptian side Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Wednesday night.
The result came in front of a packed Spotify Camp Nou as Anthony Gordon missed a late penalty on his first appearance at the stadium.
Squad presentation sets the tone
A crowd of 54,224 filled the stands for the traditional pre-match presentation of the 2026/27 squad. New arrivals received warm welcomes, but the loudest cheers were reserved for Rodri. The midfielder completed his move from Manchester City earlier this week and was introduced to the fans even though he was not available to play.
Abdelkarim and Raphinha put Barcelona in control
Barcelona controlled large parts of the opening half with high pressing that kept Al Ahly pinned deep. The breakthrough arrived in the 29th minute. Raphinha combined neatly with Alejandro Balde, who reached the byline and cut the ball back for 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim. The Egyptian striker finished first time for his fourth goal of the preseason. He chose not to celebrate against his former club.
Barcelona continued to create chances. Just before the interval Raphinha won a penalty himself after reacting quickest to a loose ball in the box and converting from the spot to make it 2-0.
Al Ahly fight back sfter the break
Hansi Flick made several changes at half-time, introducing Dani Olmo and Anthony Gordon among others. Al Ahly responded with greater intensity and reduced the deficit in the 51st minute. A swift counter-attack ended with Zizo controlling the ball superbly and beating Joan Garcia to pull the score back to 2-1.
Gordon thought he had restored the two-goal cushion only for the effort to be ruled out. The England international later forced a strong save from Mohamed El Shenawy, while Karim Adeyemi went close on a couple of occasions after coming off the bench.
Late drama and a missed penalty
In the 89th minute, Gordon won another penalty. He stepped up but saw his kick well saved by El Shenawy. The miss proved costly in terms of the final margin yet did not change the outcome. Barcelona saw out the remaining moments to secure the trophy on its return to Spotify Camp Nou after a four-year absence.
Abdelkarim continues to impress as the only recognised centre-forward in the current squad. Flick has already added Rodri, Gordon, Adeyemi and Jesse Bisiwu, with Cancelo expected to follow. The club remains open to further reinforcement, particularly in attack, but the teenager’s form is giving the coaching staff real food for thought.
Attention now switches to the start of the La Liga title defence. Barcelona travel to face Elche on Sunday looking to begin the new campaign on a positive note.