When Atletico Madrid arrived at the Camp Nou on Saturday night, on the back of a winless start to the season to play the kings of Spain and Europe, they must have a been thinking "well at least it can't be as bad as last season". It nearly was.
On October 4, 2008, Barcelona demolished their opponents. They were three up after eight minutes, five ahead with less than half a hour gone. It ended 6-1, an early pointer to the trophy-laden season that was to follow (they achieved a domestic and European treble and beat rivals Real Madrid, 6-2 away, on a magical El Clasico evening).
On Saturday, it was almost Groundhog Day. Pep Guardiola's side were two up after 16 minutes, three ahead by the half-hour mark. It ended 5-2. Whether the result will again be a precursor to a season of glory remains to be seen, but Barca look like a well-oiled juggernaut. Atletico, despite their talent-laden squad, are underachieving once again.
The writing always looked like it was going to be on the wall for Abel Resino's side. Traditionally, this fixture is as near as you can get to a guaranteed goal feast. Last season's game at the Vicente Calderon ended 4-3 to Atletico.
"It was a strange match perhaps down to the way both teams played," said Guardiola.
"I think that if we had not had that level of intensity we would not have won. Both sides attacked but we were not clever enough with the ball. We did not take enough advantage of the way their defence pushed up. We need to play the ball around more and wait for openings to develop."
Barca got off to the perfect start when summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagged his third goal in as many league starts after just two minutes at the Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi, who signed a new contract on Friday to remain at the club until 2016, then made it two after a quarter of an hour before a Dani Alves free-kick and a close-range Seydou Keita strike put the Catalans into a four-goal lead before half-time.
Sergio Aguero pulled a goal back for the visitors on the stroke of half-time and Diego Forlan added a second for Resino's side late on.
But Barcelona's win was never in doubt and Messi grabbed a fifth deep into added time for the Catalans.
Atletico now have just one point from three league games and also started their Champions League campaign with a 0-0 draw at home to Cypriot minnows Apoel Nicosia. Manager Resino was bitterly disappointed with his side's display, telling Marca: "We lacked the intensity that is required against a team like Barcelona. By the time we started passing the ball, we were already losing 2-0. They scored four goals with their first five shots.
"The consolation is that we attacked more in the second half."
Resino then looked ahead to Wednesday's game against Almeria at the Calderon.
"We have to forget this because we have another game on Wednesday," he said. "Tomorrow we must lift our head up. There is no time for depression."
* With agencies
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
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Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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more from Janine di Giovanni
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now