Chapecoense's plane crash survivors Follmann (left), Neto (centre), and Alan Ruschel prior to their friendly against Barcelona at the Camp Nou this morning (NZT). Photo / AP.
Chapecoense's plane crash survivors Follmann (left), Neto (centre), and Alan Ruschel prior to their friendly against Barcelona at the Camp Nou this morning (NZT). Photo / AP.
If this was Gerard Deulofeu's audition to be Neymar's replacement at Barcelona, the former Everton winger did everything he could to convince the club he is perfect for the part in their 5-0 win over Chapecoense, on an emotional night at the Camp Nou.
Brought back to the club thissummer, the Spain winger knows the club is talking to Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele, but he starred up front alongside an inspired Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
He grabbed his chance with one goal, two first half assists, and a mature defensively-committed performance as Barcelona ran out easy winners in the traditional curtain-raiser 'Gamper Trophy' friendly.
Sergio Busquets, Messi, Suarez and Denis Suarez also scored in a morale-raising win six days before the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid.
Chapecoense were Barcelona's guests. Tragedy struck the club last November when a plane crash over Colombia claimed the lives of 71 people including almost their entire staff as they flew to face Atletico Nacional de Medellin in the Copa Sudamericana.
Three survivors Alan Ruschel, Jakson Follman and Neto were all guests of Barcelona and Ruschel played the first 35 minutes of the game before being applauded off when he was replaced.
It was night to remember that football is never more important than life and death, even when your European rivals have just taken your second best player.
'Neymar now forms part of our history and we need to talk about the future,' said Barcelona's sporting director Pep Segura. He then declined to elaborate on signings when he was asked about targets.
'Coutinho is a hot topic? That must because we are in August,' he said on a night when players on both sides had to cope with 30 degree heat at the Camp Nou.
'He is the player of another club,' added Segura. 'So we can't say anything about him right now.'
Barcelona presented the players one-by-one before the game and predictably it was Messi who was given the biggest cheer. He got Barcelona's third goal on the night from Deulofeu's second assist on 28 minutes.
Deulofeu also made the second on 10 minutes when he teed-up up Busquets, and he scored himself on six minutes after good work from Suarez. At half-time with his first 45 minutes of the season complete after injury ruled him out of the summer tour to the US he was replaced by Denis Suarez.
Barcelona's starting line-up had been as significant for those who were not playing as for those who were. Andre Gomes and Thomas Vermaelen were both out with 'knocks'.
Gomes is wanted by Liverpool as part of any Coutinho deal and Vermaelen is the only squad player not to have been given a shirt number.
Sergio Roberto was another absentee from the starting line-up. He was among the subsitutes with Barcelona apparently wiling to let him leave if someone meets his buy-out clause. Manchester United have been linked and their scout Toni Lima was at the Camp Nou but left before Roberto made his second half appearance.
In the second half Suarez thumped in goal number four at the near post after swapping passes with Messi and it was the Argentine number 10 who played in Denis Suarez to make it 5-0 before Paco Alcacer missed a late penalty won by Nelson Semedo.
