Barcelona mark Camp Nou return with rout of Athletic Bilbao

Ferran Torres struck twice as Barcelona marked their long-awaited return to their Camp Nou Stadium with an emphatic 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Barca climbed to the top of the LaLiga standings on 31 points, level with Real Madrid, who face Elche on Sunday.

Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring in front of a soldout crowd in the first match at the ground in 909 days, following its closure for redevelopment in 2023, scoring from close range in the fourth minute and Torres extended the lead from a just before the break.

Three minutes into the second half, Barcelona scored the third with a strike from inside the box by Fermin Lopez and Athletic's frustrations boiled over when Oihan Sancet was sent off with a straight red card following a reckless challenge on Lopez.

The visitors then posed no threat, allowing Barcelona to comfortably dictate remainder of the match, with Torres adding his second in the closing stages after a counter-attack set up by Lamine Yamal.