Barcelona finished off their pre-season on a high by defeating Elche in the Joan Gamper Trophy, an annual friendly game, which was held at the Camp Nou Stadium on Saturday. Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal of the game as the Catalan side defeated Elche 1-0. Miralem Pjanic, who was signed from Juventus in the summer, also made his debut for the Spanish club. Barcelona Transfer News Latest Update: La Liga Ban Catalan Club From Signing New Players.

Barcelona, under new manager Ronald Koeman, have been performing well during the pre-season friendly matches and recorded yet another win in their latest game. The Catalans dominated the game throughout and were helped by an early goal from Antoine Griezmann, who got on the end of a Jordi Alba cross to tap the ball into the net. Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu Likely to Face No-Confidence Vote.

The game went as expected, Elche, the newly promoted La Liga side offered very little while going forward as they were intent on keeping Barcelona from scoring. This tactic made the game easy for the Catalans as after a lacklustre first half, Koeman’s men improved in the second period and despite not finding the back of the net, showed enough positive signs.

Watch Goal Video Highlights

Ronald Koeman also handed a debut to Bosnian Miralem Pjanic, who was signed from Juventus in the summer as Arthur Melo moved in the opposite direction. The new signing looked impressive after coming on for Sergio Busquests past the hour mark. This positive performance will further increase the competition for places in the Barcelona squad.

Barcelona begin their 2020-21 footballing season on September 27, 2020, when they take on Villarreal in their opening fixture in La Liga. The Catalans are in the market for some new signings but need to sell players first in order to gather funds.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2020 10:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).