Luis Suarez, who has been banned from competitive football till late next month, scored his first goal for the Barcelona reserve team, giving the fans a taste of what he has to offer on Wednesday.
As Barcelona looks to bring Suarez back up to full match fitness once again, they gave the Uruguayan striker some game time in a practice match. The Catalan's second string outfit beat an Under-19 Indonesian team 6-0, in a match where the Uruguayan striker scored a brace.
Suarez, whose ban lasts till 26 October, made a £65 million move from Liverpool to Barcelona in the summer transfer window, after he was banned from all competitive football for four months by FIFA. However, after an appeal in August, he was allowed to train with the first team and play practice games.
Suarez was not the only new Barca signing playing in this match, however. Former Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen also started in this game, and scored a goal in the 6-0 rout of the Indonesian U-19 side.
Suarez, who made a move from Anfield to Camp Nou, got into the thick of things early on in the game, winning a corner. Subsequently, Belgian defender Vermaelen got a clean header onto the ball to make in 1-0.
Vermaelen was deployed as a left-back in this match, and did not look too troubled against an inexperienced Indonesian outfit. Here's a look at Vermaelen's goal.
Suarez soon scored a goal of his own, running on to a lovely threaded through ball from 18-year-old Croat Alen Halilovic. The Uruguayan seemed to be in his comfort zone, playing after a considerable gap and getting on the score sheet early. This only helped to boost his confidence even more.
Although Suarez was deployed as a centre-forward in the Barca B side, he often drifted wide, on both the right and the left wings, to make more space for himself and his fellow forwards.
In the second half, Vermaelen was taken off around the 60-minute mark. Soon after this, Suarez scored his second goal of the day (and second goal for Barcelona B). It was a solo effort by the Uruguayan, who shook off two defenders and curled a left-footer past the 19-year-old Indonesian goalkeeper.
Here are a couple of videos of the highlights of Suarez's performance in the game.
Video courtesy FC Barcelona's YouTube Channel
