Barcelona loses 3-1 to Real Madrid; Neymar shines on PSG debut

BARCELONA/GUINGAMP — Substitute Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off after helping Real Madrid secure a 3-1 win at Barcelona in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday (Aug 13).

Ronaldo scored with a beautiful strike to make it 2-1 in the 80th minute — after coming on in the 58th — and earned a yellow card for taking off his shirt to flex his muscles at Camp Nou.

Ronaldo will miss Wednesday’s second leg in Madrid after being booked again just two minutes after scoring for diving in the area, following contact with Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti. Ronaldo gave the referee a shove in the back after seeing the red card.

Madrid went ahead in the 50th from an own-goal by Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.

Lionel Messi equalised for Barcelona in the 77th when he converted a penalty after Luis Suarez was fouled by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, taking his “clasico” goal record to 24 against Barcelona’s fiercest rival.

While Ronaldo’s goal was a blow, substitute Marco Asensio’s 90th-minute strike — with Madrid playing with 10 men — left Barcelona in a deep hole for the second leg.

“I am not going to play this down, we are happy with the result. But of course it is not over,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “We are going to enjoy this today, because it is something to enjoy, and tomorrow we will think about the game on Wednesday.”

While Zidane’s Madrid took a big step to a second title to start the season after beating Manchester United in the European Super Cup on Tuesday, it was a dismal debut for Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde.

Barcelona had hoped to show that, with Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta, it could still compete with Madrid despite having Brazil star Neymar plucked away by Paris Saint-Germain on a world-record transfer last week.

Valverde opted to start Gerard Deulofeu in Neymar’s spot on the left side, and the contrast with Neymar was clear. The forward lacked the natural talent and expert timing that Neymar had developed over four seasons with Messi and Suarez up front.

While Barcelona slumped to a loss to its fiercest rival, Neymar scored a goal in an impressive debut for PSG to help it win 3-0 at Guingamp in the French league.

Barcelona’s night to forget started when Pique slid to defend a cross by Marcelo, only to redirect the ball into the corner of his net.

Barcelona still dominated possession, but ended up playing into Madrid’s hands. It was caught off-balance in defence on goals by second-half substitutes Ronaldo and Asensio scored on the break.

Both forwards were left all alone against Pique. And, after manoeuvring to pick their spots, Ronaldo and Asensio executed superb strikes from outside the area to bend the ball around the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The defeat leaves Barcelona under pressure to spend at least part of the €222 million (S$357.1 million) it received from PSG for Neymar.

On his debut for PSG, Neymar declared he was “more alive than ever,” with one goal and an assist.

The world’s most expensive player was named man of the match, and it was deserved.

“I’m very happy with the trophy (man of the match), but the most important (thing) was to win,” Neymar said through a translator. “I knew it would be difficult to leave Barca, but I’m very happy to be here. People believe that leaving Barca is like to die. But I’m more alive than ever. I’m very happy, and the football is the same.”

Neymar, who signed from Barcelona last week, missed the start of the season at the Parc des Princes against Amiens due to paperwork problems. He started on the left wing of PSG’s attack in the small Brittany town.

Neymar looked intensely focused from the start, easily switching from one wing to the other, and often taking a playmaker role.

Pre-match festivities in the small Brittany town included some fireworks, but Neymar was jeered by a handful of fans as he came on the pitch to warm up with his teammates, pointing a finger toward the sky. By the end, many local fans gave him a standing ovation.

Neymar’s first touch in the French league was a long ball for Angel Di Maria that landed on the edge of the box, but the Argentine player could not latch onto it.

Neymar’s vision, acceleration and through balls in a weaker league than Spain’s unsettled Guingamp’s back four, and his trademark dribbles were also on display at the Roudourou. Midfielder Lucas Deaux will be remembered as the first French league player to be nutmegged by the former Barcelona star.

Encouragingly for PSG, Neymar has already gelled with Cavani, with both players finding each other instinctively despite the lack of space in the Guingamp box.

The big question that immediately emerged when Neymar signed with PSG was how he could fit into coach Unai Emery’s system. Neymar proved he can play well with the Uruguay forward, especially if Emery continues to use Cavani in a central position.

“I knew he was a top player,” Neymar said about Cavani. “Now I’m playing with him. He is a great player, and when you have such great players in a team, it’s easy.”

Neymar said it was easy to fit into the team.

“You may not believe it, but in the friendlies that Barcelona was playing in the beginning of the season I was already playing in that position, more on the inside and sometimes on the flanks. Our coach likes us to float around in the middle, he left me very comfortable. I am feeling very well.”

Neymar completed 103 passes, one of which set up Cavani in the 62nd minute, as his teammate scored his 90th goal in 135 topflight matches. Cavani then turned provider to set up Neymar with a cut-back pass that the Brazil captain converted from close range with a poke in the 82nd minute.

“I was more impressed by Cavani, who scored again,” said Guingamp veteran striker Jimmy Briand. “Neymar, there is no need to introduce him anymore. We knew he was going to be a big threat.”

On a sleepy summer Sunday, the atmosphere slowly built in the small town of Guingamp, though most of the streets were still empty mid-afternoon.

Fans later gathered for pre-match drinks at a downtown bar, “Le panier a salade (The salad shaker),” where walls are adorned with autographed jerseys from Guingamp players.

Some PSG fans mingled with home supporters in a friendly atmosphere.

“It’s magic to see Neymar at the Roudourou stadium,” said Florian Nicolas, a 30-year-old PSG fan who settled in Brittany five years ago. “This match will be watched worldwide.”

A town of 7,000 inhabitants known for its local galette-Saucisse treat — a sausage rolled in a crepe — Guingamp is also football-crazy and has witnessed the emergence of world-class players including the likes of Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda in the early 2000s. A club-record 18,378 fans watched Sunday’s game. AP