Hansi Flick praised Marcus Rashford for coming on and making an impact after Barcelona maintained their 100 per cent record in pre-season with a thumping victory over FC Seoul.
The Spanish champions have been ramping up their preparations for the upcoming campaign while on tour in South Korea and strolled to a dominant 7-3 win at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Thursday.
Robert Lewandowki opened the scoring before Lamine Yamal completed a brace in a tightly contested first half which ended 3-2, but the visitors showed their quality and pulled out of sight in a one-sided second period.
After a brief run-out against Vissel Kobe last time out, Rashford was given 45 minutes to make a difference – and the forward seized his opportunity with both hands as he registered his first assist for the La Liga giants since joining on loan from Manchester United.
With Barca holding a 6-3 lead in the closing stages, Rashford picked up the ball 20 yards out with his back to goal. In the blink of an eye, the attacker turned and found Ferran Torres with an exquisite through ball and the ex-Manchester City man made no mistake from close range.
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Torres made sure to credit to Rashford as he wheeled away to celebrate his second in what was a ruthless second-half display, in which Andreas Christensen and Gavi also found the net.
‘Each player had 45 minutes. In the end, I’m happy,’ Barcelona head coach Flick said shortly after the final whistle..
‘We had a good start in the first half and then we were a little sluggish, but we returned to a great level.
‘In the second half, too, with Gavi, Ferran, Marcus… also Gerard Martin in a position that isn’t his usual one.’
On Gavi’s best position, Flick added: ‘He can play as a number six or a number eight.
‘We saw him perform at the end of last season and he was at a very good level.
‘Here, exactly what I’ve seen from Gavi is what I want to see: pushing the team forward, wearing the armband. It’s good to see him like this.’
There was a nice moment at the start of the second period when Rashford was brought on in place of Raphinha to rapturous applause from those Barca fans in attendance at the 66,000-capacity stadium.
Rashford was smiling from ear to ear as he ran onto the field to be greeted by former Manchester United team-mate and close friend Jesse Lingard, who now captains FC Seoul.
Videos taken in the tunnel after the match show Rashford and Lingard catching up and chatting at length before they are joined by a certain Lamine Yamal.
Yamal, who had earlier been pictured in conversation with Lingard on the pitch, could be seen swapping shirts with the FC Seoul skipper.
After the win, Yamal took the opportunity to thank Barcelona’s support who had cheered the team on in Korea.
‘I’m very happy. This has been my dream since I was little – to score wearing this jersey and this number. It’s very special,’ he said.
I’m thrilled to have scored and for the team’s victory
Thank you so much for supporting us in every country. We’re truly grateful. Hopefully, this season will be very successful and we’ll win many trophies.
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