Barcelona's youngsters shine in 5-2 friendly at St. Jakob-Park

Barcelona produced an emphatic 5-2 victory over Basel in a pre-season friendly at St. Jakob-Park on August 16, 2026, with the club's young attackers taking centre stage.

Key moments

Hamza Abdelkarim and Jesse Bisivu were the standout performers, combining for three of Barcelona's goals and presenting a genuine selection headache ahead of the new season. Joan García and Eric García started in defence for Barça, while Dani Olmo, Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal entered in the second half.

The match's first clear opening arrived in the 22nd minute when Fermín López swung a ball into Basel's box and Andreas Christensen headed narrowly wide. Barcelona took the lead in the 34th minute when Rafinha set up Karim Adeyemi, who found space inside the area and finished past the home goalkeeper.

Basel levelled in the 43rd minute after a breakdown in Barcelona's defence, and Dukur was fortunate to see the ball bounce to his feet before he struck it into Joan García's net. Barcelona regained the advantage early in the second half: in the 48th minute Adeyemi provided the assist for Hamza Abdelkarim, who controlled a difficult delivery and scored.

Jules Koundé was fouled inside Basel's box in the 80th minute and the referee awarded a penalty; Lamine Yamal converted from the spot in the 81st minute to make it 3-1. Four minutes later Fariñas brought down Reg in Barcelona's penalty area and the spot kick was converted by Olaigbe.

The game finished 5-2. With young forwards delivering on the night, Barcelona will head into the remainder of pre-season encouraged by the attacking options at the coaching staff's disposal.

Photo: press material from the event