'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Barcelona fans have waxed lyrical about Pau Victor on X after he scored a brace in their 2-1 win against Real Madrid in their pre-season friendly (August 3). The 22-year-old forward was named the Player of the Match, and has now scored three goals in his last two games under Hansi Flick after netting in their 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
Flick opted to deploy Victor on the right wing, with Robert Lewandowski being preferred as the lone striker. However, the former broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute, heading home from close range after Lewandowski was unable to convert his chance.
Victor looked extremely threatening after the break, unleashing a fierce shot from 25 yards out which was saved by Thibaut Courtois in the 52nd minute. However, he wasn't denied two minutes later, finishing from close range to double Barcelona's advantage. Nico Paz scored in the 82nd minute but it wasn't enough to prevent Real Madrid from succumbing to a 2-1 loss.
Pau Victor had a brilliant outing during his 65 minutes on the pitch and was given a 9.0 rating by FotMob. He scored two goals, completed all 20 of his passes, and landed four shots on target from six attempts.
One fan compared him to Barcelona icon Lionel Messi for his performance against Real Madrid, posting:
"Pau Victor is owning madrid at very young age like Messi did. WHAT A BALLER!!"
Another fan tweeted:
"New haaland hahahha"
Other fan reactions can be viewed below:
"David Villa regen what a player," one fan typed.
"My Starboy," another added.
"Last summer, Fermin Lopez came out of nowhere and announced himself to the world with a brace against Madrid in preseason. This summer, Pau Victor’s done the exact same thing, and he’s looked brilliant. I see a pattern…" one fan noted.
"What makes Pau Victor special is not even his goal but his work rate. He is always breathing down the neck of defenders and that is something Barcelona has lacked for a while," another reacted.
"I thought Barca were wrong about letting guiu leave, but I’m just finding out we kept the better striker," one fan posted.
"The thing with Pau Victor is that his intelligence and technical attributes allows him to play anywhere along the front 3. Link-up play, off-ball movement and weak foot ball-striking. He has all the tools to succeed here," another chimed in.
Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona: How did both sides fare against each other in pre-season clash?
Barcelona came out on top after a tense 2-1 El Clasico clash against Real Madrid in their pre-season friendly at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday. Let's take a quick look at the stats to see how both teams performed:
Possession was evenly split with both teams having 50 percent of the ball. However, Real Madrid had more accurate passes, completing 501 with an accuracy of 91 percent. In contrast, the Blaugrana completed 491 with an accuracy of 92 percent.
Despite this, Barcelona looked much more threatening in attack, landing 11 shots in total with six being on target, missing three big chances. Los Blancos mustered the same number, but landed three on target, missing just one big chance.
