Barcelona on Sunday witnessed another teenage sensation making history in La Liga as 17-year-old Marc Guiu scored a remarkable goal 23 seconds into his first-team debut, securing a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Guiu's early strike made him the second-youngest player this century to score in his league debut.
"They told me to go out there and give everything I have, that I would have my chances,” Guiu said. "I dreamed about this so many times. I won’t sleep tonight.”
Fabrice Olinga from Malaga remains the youngest scorer on his La Liga debut, finding the net at just 16 years and 98 days against Celta Vigo in 2012.
However, another La Masia graduate, Lamine Yamal, holds the title as the youngest ever to shake the nets, having scored at 16 years and 87 days in a 2-2 draw against Granada.
Guiu, at the age of 17 years and 291 days, entered the match as a substitute and, after only two touches, sent Barcelona to third place in the league standings.
His electrifying 80th-minute goal was the difference-maker in the game, sprinting toward the goal area following a pass from Joao Felix and expertly firing a low shot past Bilbao's goalkeeper, Unai Simon.
The victory gave Barcelona 24 points after 10 matches, placing them just one point behind league leaders Real Madrid and Girona.
Impressively, Barcelona remain the only unbeaten team in the league, highlighting their resilience even when missing several regular starters, including Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, and Sergi Roberto due to injury.
Barcelona have enjoyed a run of eight consecutive league matches without losing to Bilbao, boasting seven wins and a draw.
Furthermore, they have won four straight games against Bilbao without conceding any goals since coach Xavi took charge.
Barcelona now enter a crucial week with challenging fixtures, including a Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday and an El Clasico against Real Madrid on Saturday.
"We have many injured players, and today we finished with a titanic effort,” Xavi said. "We are one point behind Madrid, and it will be crucial to win the clasico.”
With the loss, Bilbao slipped to sixth place, marking their second defeat in three matches.
Girona continued their impressive form, coming from behind to secure a 5-2 victory over last-place Almeria, allowing them to join Real Madrid at the top of the league.
The Catalan club scored three goals in just six minutes toward the end of the first half to erase a two-goal deficit.
This remarkable comeback marked their eighth win in 10 matches, bringing them to 25 points after 10 rounds, on par with Real Madrid, which had a 1-1 draw at Sevilla on Saturday.
Artem Dovbyk was instrumental in Girona's victory, scoring two goals.
Almeria, the only team yet to win in the league this season, stunned the hosts with early goals by Leo Baptistao.
Villarreal's winless streak extended to five games with a 1-1 home draw against Alaves.
Samuel Omorodion opened the scoring for the visitors in the 48th minute, while Gerard Moreno equalized for Villarreal by converting a 65th-minute penalty kick.
Both teams are currently hovering near the relegation zone, with Alaves unable to secure a win in six consecutive matches.
Rayo Vallecano broke a four-game streak of consecutive draws with a 1-0 victory against Las Palmas.
Bebe was the hero of the day, converting a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time.
This victory propelled Rayo to seventh place in the league standings, while Las Palmas, coming off two consecutive victories, remained in 12th place.
Notably, Las Palmas forward Munir el-Haddadi missed a first-half penalty kick.
Spanish media reported that one person was arrested following a fight between fans from both teams on Saturday night.
