Barcelona and Atletico Madrid continued their preparations for the new season with high-scoring friendly games on Sunday against different opposition.
Barcelona, who are currently on a tour of America, faced Mexican side UNAM Pumas, scoring six times in the game. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid faced Italian giants Juventus and secured a 4-0 victory against the old ladies.
Barcelona, who have been engrossed in troubles as regards the registration of their summer signings, were said to be close to the signature of Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso. Reports said the player had agreed to join the club earlier on Saturday.
However, reports circulated that Barcelona had failed in their attempts to try and register five players who they had signed earlier in the summer.
The players include Portuguese forward Poland forward Robert Lewandowski, Brazilian midfielder Raphinha, Ivorian midfielder Frank Kessie, Danish defender Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, and Ousmane Dembele, who signed a contract renewal.
Nevertheless, the players didn’t show any sign of struggle on the pitch of play, with Lewandowski getting on the scoresheet in the first half.
Pedri scored a brace while Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has been linked with a return to the Premier League with Chelsea, found the back of the net.
Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong were also on the scoresheet on the night. Barcelona will now play Rayo Vallecano next Saturday when their La Liga campaign kicks off.
In Turin, Alvaro Morata scored a hat-trick against his former side as Atletico Madrid secured a comfortable 4-0 victory against Juventus. Morata scored twice in the first half, a goal on either side of Joao Felix’s missed penalty.
Morata’s hat-trick was completed in the second half, while Matheus Cunha scored the final goal of the game in stoppage time.
Atletico Madrid will start their new La Liga season against Getafe next weekend as they hope to once again beat the duo of Barcelona and Real Madrid to the titles.
Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu
