29.07.2010 21:52

A game of firsts

Anna Segura

FC Barcelona's first outing of the pre-season campaign against Valerenga on Thursday allowed Adriano Correia to make his debut for the club while Bojan Krkic, Seydou Keita and Maxwell also made their mark.

After David Villa moved to Camp Nou before the World Cup the club signed Adriano from Sevilla after the tournament and he appeared for the first time in the Blaugrana colours when coach Pep Guardiola sent him on at the start of the second half in Norway.

Left flank

With the Brazilian able to play in a variety of positions Guardiola chose to employ Adriano on the left wing against Valerenga and he showed his ability to push forward and cause problems for the opposition defence in and around the area. The Barça newcomer had his first shot just after the hour, but was denied by the keeper and was again foiled late on in a one-on-one situation.

Bojan and Keita

Krkic was given the honour of captaining the young Barça team in the absence of Carles Puyol, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Víctor Valdés and Keita then took over the role when the striker was substituted. It was a unique moment for both players as neither had been asked to skipper the side before.

Maxwell goal

Maxwell made his mark when he netted his first ever goal for FC Barcelona. The Brazilian defender joined the club a year but had not scored at any level for the Blaugrana until he beat former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld in the 35th minute.