A narrow win, Hamza's brilliance and the Raphinha surprise: how did the Spanish press view the Al-Ahly and Barcelona match?
The Catalan side has concluded its preparations for the new season.
Egypt's Hamza Abdelkarim and Brazil's Raphinha stole the show for Barcelona in the friendly Joan Gamper Trophy clash against Al Ahly, according to the Spanish press.
Abdelkarim and Raphinha struck a goal apiece to fire Barcelona to a 2-1 win over the Egyptian giants on Wednesday evening at the Spotify Camp Nou.
A narrow win
The Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo turned its criticism on Barcelona, judging the team well short of its usual level despite beating Al-Ahly.
"A Barcelona far from its usual level begins the journey at its own stadium," ran the headline, with the paper arguing that the side lacked the rhythm that defined it under German coach Hansi Flick.
Individuals came in for blame too. Lamine Yamal's touches in the first half counted for nothing, said the paper, while French full-back Jules Koundé was some way off his best.
The newspaper's real focus, though, was Barcelona's return to the Spotify Camp Nou after roughly two and a half months, their first time back since the end of their La Liga campaign last May.
Hamza Abdelkarim: the most effective
The newspaper reserved its praise for Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim, rating him the most effective player on show across both Barcelona and Al-Ahly after he scored from three attempts on target.
Spanish newspaper "Marca" agreed. Their match report said the Egyptian forward had carried his fine pre-season form into the game, and his fourth goal kept him top of Barcelona's scoring charts before the campaign had even begun.
What caught the eye was Abdelkarim's refusal to celebrate. This was Al-Ahly, the club whose youth ranks raised him before his move to Barcelona last January.
New signings: a strong start
The newspaper also praised the way Barcelona's new signings performed during the current summer transfer window, chief among them England's Anthony Gordon and Germany's Karim Adeyemi.
Gordon drew particular praise from "Marca", despite him missing a penalty at the end of the match that he had won himself. He added pace and mobility to the front line after playing through the centre of the attack.
Adeyemi, meanwhile, showed early on exactly why Flick signed him. His great pace caused danger down the right flank from the moment he entered the pitch.
Raphinha: more than just an armband
As for the Catalan newspaper "Sport", it devoted an article to Raphinha's first appearance wearing the Barcelona captain's armband, after Flick handed it to the Brazilian star for the new season.
Two things caught the paper's eye. The first was his pre-match speech, in which he threw his support behind teammate Ronald Araujo, who suffered a torn cruciate ligament injury before the season began.
"Sport" reckoned this speech mattered more than anything else for Raphinha ahead of his first match with the armband. He talked about his teammates before titles and trophies, proving he deserved to wear it.
Taking the penalty he had won himself was necessary too, the paper argued, rounding off his off-pitch words with something tangible on it. He then left the rest of the spot-kicks to his Spanish teammate Lamine Yamal.
