Raphinha, Frenkie, Lewandowski... Review of the Barça internationals' day
Published New:5/09/2025 - 17:13h
Updated New:5/09/2025 - 17:13h
A total of seven internationals with Barça saw action on Thursday with their national teams. Two of them, Frenkie de Jong and Lamine Yamal, ended up with physical discomfort
The September international break forced FC Barcelona to cede 15 of its internationals to commitments with their national teams. Of these, 7 saw minutes on Thursday, September 4, which marked the start of the UEFA World Cup qualifier for several combined teams, including Spain.
La Roja debuted with a rout in Bulgaria (0-3) with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino. Pedri González and Lamine Yamal were starters, with the Canary Islander playing 90 minutes and the winger replaced in the 79th minute. Pau Cubarsí entered after the break, while Dani Olmo played 20 minutes.
Ferran Torres and Fermín López, meanwhile, remained on the bench. The negative note of the Selection's triumph had to do with some lower back discomfort for Lamine at the end of the match. The '19' gave an assist, but did not train normally on Friday and is doubtful for Sunday's clash in Turkey (20:45 CEST).
The duel between Frenkie and Lewandowski ended in a draw
In addition to the internationals with Spain, Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski also returned with their national teams in the match between the Netherlands and Poland. The match played in Rotterdam ended in a draw (1-1), with goals from Denzel Dumfries for the 'Orange' and Matty Cash for the visitors.
'Lewy', in his return to Poland as captain, played 64 minutes with little participation in the game. The '9' completed 6 of 7 passes and 4 dribbles in as many attempts, but could not shoot on goal once. Robert will have a new opportunity to score next Sunday, when the Poles host Finland (20:45 CEST).
De Jong, meanwhile, was on the field for 83 minutes, very solvent in midfield alongside Tijjani Reijnders. However, the Barça midfielder also raised alarms due to a slight muscle twinge in the final stretch.
"Frenkie warned us that he felt tension in his gluteus, so we didn't take any risks", explained Ronald Koeman, the Dutch coach, in the post-match press conference. In principle, the Arkel native should be available for the match against Lithuania on Sunday (18:00 CEST), but his evolution will determine his availability.
- 🔍Do you want to know when the FC Barcelona internationals play in the September FIFA date? At FCBN you have available the calendar of the 15 culés called up by their national teams
Raphinha was a starter with Brazil, Araujo rested due to suspension with Uruguay
The other Barcelona international who saw action on Thursday was Raphinha. The winger wore the '10' with Brazil in the rout against Chile (3-0), a match where, although he did not add goals or assists, he left flashes of quality in the 'canarinha' attack.
Rafa played 79 minutes in which he made 4 shots (1 on goal), with 3 duels won in 9 attempts and a couple of successful dribbles. In addition, he completed 30 of 36 passes and created 3 clear chances. The culé striker could be a substitute on Tuesday against Bolivia (early Wednesday morning in Spain), in a match that will be played at 4,150 meters of altitude on Bolivian soil.
Ronald Araujo, meanwhile, watched from the stands of the Estadio Centenario the rout of Uruguay against Peru (3-0). The central defender served a suspension for accumulation of cards and will be available again on Tuesday against Chile. Both Uruguayans and Brazilians had already secured their qualification for the World Cup in June.
