August sun drenched Spain in gold as Matchday 2 of La Liga dawned.
Every headline, every broadcast, every chant from Madrid to Catalonia echoed the same thought: 'The war has only just begun'.
On this day, both giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid would take on the pitch again. Yes, both Spanish giants were playing on the same day, and at the same time.
It was almost as if the league rigged it like that for dramatic effect.
They were not playing against each other, not yet. But every pass, every tackle, and every goal felt like a message hurled across Spain to their eternal rival.
…
Spotify Camp Nou – Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao.
The stadium stands swayed with rhythmic chants as FC Barcelona took the field for their 2nd home clash of the season, this time against Athletic Bilbao. Hansi Flick made subtle tactical tweaks to his starting XI.
It was still essentially the same players who started in Matchday 1 though.
Starting in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Jose Garcia who already now reaffirmed his position as Hansi Flick's new No. 1 goalkeeper started in between the posts, while ahead of him was the defensive quadruple of Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde.
The midfield duo comprised the dynamic duo of Gavi and Pedri, while Sam started in his favored central attacking midfield position, flanked on both sides by Lamine Yamal on the right and Raphinha on the left.
Robert Lewandowski once again led the line as the striker.
Athletic Bilbao, notoriously known as a thorn in Barca's side in recent years, and also known for their ferocious hunting and aerial attacking prowess came hunting for blood at the Spotify Camp Nou.
But from the first whistle, Barcelona's tempo reached an infernal gear.
The Flick engine roared.
In the 10th minute of the game, Pedri's ball to Sam split the midfield. Sam received the ball, dragged defenders with a typical bursting run before laying it off to Yamal, whose cross was headed just wide by Lewandowski.
In the 19th minute, Gavi, on rotation for Raphinha, surged into the box with exuberant energy and crashed a volley off the post.
It was barely 20 minutes in, and Barca were already suffocating the visitors.
But then, in the 27th minutes, alarm bells rang around the stadium as Bilbao stunned dangerously on the counter, but Araujo's last-ditch tackle sent shockwaves through the stands.
It wasn't until the 32nd minute of the game that the Spotify Camp Nou erupted.
Sam dropped deep, collecting from Pedri. He flicked the ball past two midfielders, burst forward with raw pace, before making an audacious move and unleashing a knuckle shot from 30 yards.
POW!
The ball swerved violently, smashing into the top corner.
1-0 Barcelona.
BOOM!
The stadium roared like an earthquake as Sam sprinted toward the fans, arms wide in celebration.
"Sam!" "Sam!" "Sam!"
The Sam chants already started again in the new season. The Football God was delivering divine messages once again.
…
Meanwhile – Santiago Bernabeu: Real Madrid vs Valencia.
At the exact moment Sam celebrated, white shirts poured forward in Madrid. It was also their 2nd home game of the season.
Xavi Alonso's XI mirrored his opening-week dominance.
Thibaut Courtois started in goal, while ahead of him was the defensive quadruple of Trent Alexander Arnold, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy. The midfield trio comprised Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, and Arda Guler.
The attack trio were the usual: Rodrygo, Vinicius, and Kylian Mbappe.
From kickoff, Madrid hunted Valencia like lions circling prey, moving with the silent clarity of men who knew that their rivals were doing the same across the other side of town. Or in this case, country.
But Madrid was more ruthless.
Their rout started early, 8th minute. Mbappe received the ball and cut inside, hammering a strike that Courtois would have applauded to give Real Madrid the lead early.
1-0 Madrid.
He celebrated with his trademark arms folded celebration, triggering explosive roars round the Santiago Bernabeu.
Valencia trailed early. Their game plan was already fracturing like glass.
To add salt to injury, while they chased the game, Madrid sank them deeper as in the 22nd minute, Vinicius Jnr. exploded to life, torching his fullback with electric dribbling, dancing into the box, before scoring with audacious flair.
2-0 Real Madrid.
…
Second Half – Duel from Afar.
In Barcelona, Bilbao clawed back after halftime with an equalizer from a corner, silencing the crowd for a heartbeat.
But Hansi Flick's machine was relentless.
In the 59th minute, Alejandro Balde finally announced his presence in the game with imperious energy, storming the flank with brutal pace before whipping a low cross for Lewandowski to slide in, making it 2-1 Barcelona.
Still not satisfied, Barca added the seal to the game late on. And this time, it was Lamine Yamal's turn to shine.
In the 74th minute, Yamal combined with Pedri for a delicate one-two that left defenders stumbling.
The wonderkid curled it home with ice-cold precision.
3-1 Barcelona.
Sam, though double-marked, orchestrated everything, dictating rhythm and tormenting Bilbao with perfectly timed and weighted passes.
…
At the Bernabeu, Madrid mirrored Barca's destruction.
In the 51st minute, Bellingham bulldozed through midfield, feeding Rodrygo for a poacher's finish to make it 3-0 in Madrid's favor.
And then in the 65th minute, Madrid showed ruthless efficiency again as Mbappe found Vinicius with a daring trivela pass.
A cheeky chip over the goalkeeper sealed his brace. 4-0 Madrid.
…
In Camp Nou's dying moments, Sam delivered the coup de grace.
A chipped ball from Pedri found him inside the box. With defenders closing in, Sam spun 360 degrees, flicking the ball over the goalkeeper with the outside of his boot, eliciting gasps from the stands.
Goal of the Season contender! 4-1 Barcelona.
Camp Nou didn't just erupt, it detonated. Fans knew the goal wasn't just for them, it was for Madrid, it was a message sent.
…
Meanwhile, in Madrid's final moments, Mbappe thundered in a low strike from distance, claiming his brace to cap off an electric display.
5-0 Madrid.
…
FWEEE!
When both final whistles blew, the headlines wrote themselves.
["Barcelona's Football God Strikes Again – 4-1 Over Bilbao!"]
["Mbappe and Vinicius Shine as Madrid Crush Valencia 5-0".]
But more than victories, it was a conversation in goals between two superpowers, shadows and mirrors dancing across Spain.
Vinicius, handed man of the Match for the second consecutive game for Madrid, smirked in his interview:
"Sam Moses scored again? Cute. Let's see him do it against Madrid's defense".
Sam, also the man of the match award recipient, speaking at Camp Nou, smiled faintly when asked about Madrid's win.
"They played well tonight. We did too. The season is long… and I never miss when the stakes are highest".
The tension tightened like a bowstring.
Two matches. Two dominant sides.
And soon, an arrow named El Clasico would be fired straight into football history.