Ten minutes prior to kickoff, the stadium speakers played the FC Barcelona anthem while the team remained absent from the pitch, failing to even appear in the players’ tunnel. According to El Periódico, this added ceremonial feature included a live performance by Hispano-Moroccan singer Asha. When the anthem sounded again at its usual time, a nearly full crowd joined in with a cappella fragments, defying official weather warnings.
Official attendance figures recorded 50,568 spectators inside the venue, marking an increase ofcinc mil fans compared to the previous stormy fixture against Feyenoord. Cell phone emergency alerts rang out across the stands just seconds before the match got underway. On the pitch, early ball changes occurred during the opening exchanges—not due to any powerful strikes from Joao Cancelo, but as part of the chaotic start noted by El Periódico.
Racing capitalized immediately, scoring from their first and only foray into the penalty area following a careless turnover by the hosts. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal subsequently missed a penalty kick.
In the VIP box, guest list tracking placed Claudia Villafañe—the first widow of Diego Maradona—at number 13. That historic connection recalled one of Racing’s only two victories at Barcelona in all history, a 0-2 result during the 1982-83 La Liga campaign. Racing’s other historic win in Barcelona dates back to the 1935-36 season, a match Maradona missed due to a bout of hepatitis.
Goalkeeper drama unfolded during the halftime interval when Wojciech Szczesny emerged to warm up, signaling trouble for the hosts. Asha performed once more during the break, though to a smaller audience as spectators sought shelter indoors. Joan Garcia slipped on the protective carpet surrounding the playing surface—a hazard previously encountered by Karim Adeyemi—and sustained an injury.
Instead of turning to summer signing Dominik Livakovic, the designated second-choice goalkeeper, manager Hansi Flick deployed Szczesny. The substitute goalkeeper subsequently handed Racing a second goal via a defensive miscue, as reported by El Periódico.
Outside the stadium, lightning illuminated the exterior structures as the worst of the storm raged off the pitch. The visitors conceded 19 shots and nine corner kicks in the first half alone, totals that ballooned to 30 shots and 18 corners by the final whistle.
Reporting on the tactical resilience of the squad, El Periódico noted that Flick’s Barcelona side displays enough defensive solidity to withstand both opponents and external elements that superstitious observers might view as bad omens. That stability makes Barcelona the only team in history to win its first seven matches of the season.
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