MADRID: Barcelona started life without Lionel Messi by defeating Real Sociedad 4-2 in their La Liga opener at the Camp Nou on Sunday even if fans admitted it felt like “a leap into the unknown.”
Captain Gerard Pique gave them a 19th minute lead with his 50th goal for the club.
Martin Braithwaite found the net in first half injury time and in the 59th minute. Sergi Roberto added a fourth in the last minute of the game.
Just over 20,000 fans were in attendance as crowds returned for the first time since the pandemic.
However, they had to hold their breath at one stage when Sociedad came back from 3-0 down to get to 3-2 thanks to goals from 20-year-old Julen Lobete in the 82nd minute and a 30-meter free-kick from skipper Mikel Oyarzabal three minutes later.
Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi called time on his two-decade career at Barcelona last week and moved to Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi’s memory lingered heavy over the Camp Nou on Sunday despite the removal of a giant photograph of the Argentine superstar from the entrance in the wake of his move to France.
Some banners were in place well before kick-off venting the fans anger toward president Joan Laporta.
One read “Laporta, Barca is not your business,” while another proclaimed “Barca yes, Laporta no!“
“It was a big emotional blow,” said 23-year-old Barca fan Adria De Lucas.
“I was in my room when I saw the news. I started sending messages to all my friends, and no one believed it. It was emotionally hard.”
The supporter added: “It’s a leap into the unknown (without Messi). We will see what happens.”
Inside the Camp Nou, fans made the most of their return after 18 months, chanting “Messi! Messi!.”
Banners expressed their “eternal gratitude.”
“The supporters are with us, they want to see football,” said Pique.
“We knew they were going to react that way. We all know what Leo represents, but everything changes and we have to keep going.“We will be very competitive and we will fight for titles to the end. We will not have his talent, but we have proven that we can all play together.”
La Liga champions Atletico Madrid got their season underway with a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo.
Angel Correa gave Atletico the lead after 23 minutes after being set up by Thomas Lemar.
Correa added a second goal in the 64th minute just five minutes after Iago Aspas had pulled Celta level from the penalty spot.
However, the game was marred by a mass brawl in the closing stages following a foul on Atletico striker Luis Suarez.
Red cards were brandished for Hugo Mallo of Celta and Mario Hermoso of Atletico.
In Sunday’s late game, Sevilla defeated Rayo Vallecano 3-0 with Moroccan international Youssef En-Nesyri scoring a first-half penalty before new Argentine recruit Erik Lamela grabbed two.
Vallecano played 75 minutes a man short after goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of French football legend Zinedine, was red-carded for bringing down Oussama Idrissi in the move which led to the penalty.
As Barca try to fill the Messi-sized gap, as well as ballooning debts of more than 1.2 billion euros ($1.6 billion), Real Madrid got off to a flier on the pitch as a brace from French veteran striker Karim Benzema helped bring a 4-1 victory at Alaves on Saturday.
The win, achieved with further goals from Nacho and Vinicius allowed Carlo Ancelotti to celebrate the start of his second spell in charge with a victory.
A Joselu penalty for the hosts was a minor blemish after Real keeper Thibaut Courtois, making his 100th Liga appearance for Real, brought down John Guidetti.
In other action on Saturday, Cadiz and Levante parted 1-1 as did Mallorca and Real Betis while the match between Osasuna and Espanyol ended in a goalless stalemate.
There are two matches on Monday as Villarreal go up against Granada while Elche meet Athletic Bilbao.
Valencia got the ball rolling Friday and pocketed three points after an early Carlos Soler penalty was enough to see them overcome Getafe 1-0.
No Messi, no problem as Barcelona take ‘leap into unknown’ with victory
https://arab.news/8vqz7
No Messi, no problem as Barcelona take ‘leap into unknown’ with victory
Royal Rumble set for historic Saudi debut as fan demand breaks records
- KAFD Arena built in record time for flagship pro wrestling event
- More than 700,000 fans queued on WeBook at ticket release
RIYADH: Professional wrestling has long been a polarising spectacle. Whether labelled a sport, an art for or a scripted show, one thing is now clear: WWE has captured the Saudi market in unprecedented fashion over the past decade.
Originally the home of marquee events outside WWE’s traditional “Big Four” Premium Live Events, such as Crown Jewel, Saudi Arabia quickly became a yearly fixture on the global wrestling calendar after the Saudi General Sports Authority struck a 10-year deal with the company.
2025, however, saw a landmark announcement. For the first time in history, one of WWE’s “Big Four”, the Royal Rumble, would be staged outside North America. Riyadh was confirmed as the host city, with the event headlined by the iconic 30-man and 30-woman Royal Rumble matches, where competitors enter at timed intervals until only one remains.
Months later, WWE confirmed another historic first: Wrestlemania would also make its way to Saudi Arabia, with the 43rd edition set to be held in the Kingdom in 2027.
For local fans, the moment is still difficult to comprehend. Nawaf Al-Hazmi, President of the Voltage Team Fans Association, the world’s first wrestling clan, described the journey as nothing short of surreal.
“If you told me 10 years ago that Wrestlemania would be hosted in Saudi Arabia, I would have laughed,” he said.
“We saw the ‘Greatest Royal Rumble’ take place here in 2018 with 50 wrestlers, but this is the real deal. The Royal Rumble. You see the crowds, they love wrestling here.”
Al-Hazmi is one of the pioneers of wrestling culture in Saudi Arabia and leads the Voltage Team Wrestling Clan, which has grown to more than 1,100 members in the past few years.
“If you see the Tiktok videos ranking the best wrestling crowds in WWE history, Saudi Arabia is always part of the top five,” he said. “In Saudi, we are passionate about various sports — football, F1 — and the same can be said for pro wrestling.”
One of the biggest talking points after WWE’s deal with Saudi Arabia was centred on whether a genuine fan base existed, but Al-Hazmi claims wrestling culture has long been part of Saudi Arabia.
“My father, my grandfather — have watched wrestling for a long time,” he admitted. “From Hulk Hogan to The Ultimate Warrior to Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. Wrestling has always been part of our culture.”
The passion was reflected in the demand for the Royal Rumble, with more than 700,000 fans waiting in a virtual queue on WeBook when tickets were released.
“In Saudi Arabia, everyone loves wrestling. The passion of the fans is unbelievable,” Al-Hazmi expressed.
The event has also dominated social media discussion due to the rapid construction of the newly unveiled KAFD Arena. After weeks of speculation over the venue, WeBook confirmed the arena would host both Smackdown and the Royal Rumble itself.
“When KAFD Arena was announced, people were surprised,” Al-Hazmi said. “Where would it be? Inside KAFD? How would it work?”
Less than a month later, the venue was complete.
“People on social media thought it was a joke,” he added. “But now you see the stadium, the backdrop. In Saudi Arabia, nothing is impossible.”
The growth of wrestling in Saudi Arabia has not been limited to WWE. Saudi Pro Wrestling (SPW), part of the famous independent wrestling scene, has also seen a sharp rise in interest.
“At our last show, we sold out 400 tickets,” Al-Hazmi said. “We have more than 20 superstars on the roster, over 50 wrestlers training at the academy and even international names coming from the UK, the US and Mexico. Kalisto, a former WWE superstar, is currently one half of the SPW Tag Team Champions.”
The Royal Rumble will take place on January 31, preceded by Smackdown on January 30. Stars including highly popular Sami Zayn will battle for the WWE Undisputed Championship, while Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio and Roman Reigns are among the names set to enter the Men's Royal Rumble match.
It has been a long and, at times, controversional journey for professional wrestling in Saudi Arabia. Yet the response from the fans has delivered a clear message: when it comes to hosting the sport’s biggest spectacles, few places can now rival the Kingdom.
