FC Barcelona brought their pre-season to a close at Camp Nou with the traditional Joan Gamper Trophy, and Hansi Flick’s side made sure the occasion had a winning outcome as well as a headline unveiling. The Blaugranes beat Egyptian giants Al Ahly 2-1, with Hamza Abdelkarim scoring against his former club before Raphinha doubled the lead, as 101 Great Goals has reported.
The night’s biggest talking point arrived before kick-off, with World Cup 2026 winner Rodri introduced to the home support during Barcelona’s traditional squad presentation. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner completed his move from Manchester City for £65 million on Tuesday, though he was not involved in the match itself, instead strolling the pitch with his new teammates ahead of a season in which Flick hopes his passing range and defensive positioning will help the Catalans press even higher up the pitch.
On the pitch, Abdelkarim opened the scoring after a slick one-two between Raphinha and Alejandro Balde teed up the 18-year-old to fire past his former employers. It was the Egyptian forward’s fourth goal of pre-season, a striking return given he only joined Barcelona permanently in June for around £1.3 million after an initial loan spell with Barcelona B that began in February.
Raphinha then added the second shortly before half-time, converting after being brought down by Hady Reyad inside the area. Al Ahly responded quickly after the restart when Zizo broke clear on the counter and curled a precise finish past Joan Garcia, setting up a nervy finish that never quite arrived for the visitors.
Anthony Gordon, another of Barcelona’s summer arrivals following his £69 million move from Newcastle, had a first-time finish ruled out for offside before seeing a stoppage-time penalty saved by veteran Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy. Lamine Yamal was among six players withdrawn at half-time and had a quieter game by his own standards, a detail that fits into the broader pattern of squad rotation Flick has managed across the club’s pre-season fixtures, including the earlier test in the Basel friendly.
The result extends Barcelona’s strong recent record in the fixture, following last year’s 5-0 win over Como, though the club has not lifted the trophy in every edition since 1997, having lost to Monaco, Juventus, Sampdoria and Manchester City at various points. Further context on the occasion and its build-up was covered in SempreBarca’s preview of the fixture.
Barcelona now turn to competitive action, opening their La Liga title defence away to Elche on August 23, while Al Ahly begin their own Egyptian Premier League campaign the same day at home to Eastern Enppi.