Barcelona made a winning start following the departure of talisman Lionel Messi with a 4-2 La Liga win against Real Sociedad.
Fans were welcomed back to Camp Nou for the first time in 526 days, although it was the first time without the brilliant Argentine for 17 years, and many of the 20,000 supporters chanted his name and protested against the club for letting him go.
However, it was another stalwart who opened the scoring with Gerard Pique heading the ball into the back of the net for his 50th goal for Barcelona, before Martin Braithwaite struck twice either side of half-time.
Julen Lobete pulled one back for the visitors in the 82nd minute before Mikel Oyarzabal struck three minutes later to set up a close finish.
But in injury time, Sergi Roberto restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage and the game finished 4-2.
Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.
