Barcelona 1-0 Nottingham Forest: Highlights, man of the match as Raphinha hits winner in 45-minute friendly

Barcelona recorded a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the second match of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup on Saturday night.

The competition consists of three 45-minute matches, with Forest opening up the competition with a 1-0 loss to Udinese.

Barcelona will finish the tournament against Udinese, with the winner being decided by a league format, and Hansi Flick's side have moved onto three points courtesy of their success over Forest, earned by a penalty from Raphinha.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

This was a difficult match to judge given the nature of the tournament fixture, which only lasted 45 minutes, but in fairness, quite a lot was packed in.

Forest came closest early on through their captain Morgan Gibbs-White, who hit the post, while Brian Farinas also struck the woodwork for Barcelona.

It was an important match for Fermin Lopez, as the Barcelona midfielder made his comeback from the injury that forced him to miss the 2026 World Cup.

Raphinha scored a penalty for Barcelona late in the half to secure the win, with the spot kick being awarded following a handball from Nikola Milenkovic.

Forest have ended the mini-tournament with zeroi points from their two matches, but plenty of positives can be taken from their second game with Barcelona.

Hansi Flick's side, meanwhile, will continue to welcome important players back into their squad in the coming days, as the start of the new campaign draws ever closer.

BARCELONA VS. NOTTINGHAM FOREST HIGHLIGHTS

46th min: Barcelona 1-0 Nottingham Forest (Raphinha)

Barcelona score the winner in the 45-minute penalty, as Raphinha registers from the penalty spot following a handball from Forest defender Milenkovic.

MAN OF THE MATCH - FERMIN LOPEZ

Ferminator is back pic.twitter.com/83aVc6twNO

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 8, 2026

Fermin was very bright for Barcelona on his return to action, with the Spaniard impressive in possession of the ball, while he was the player driving his team forward.

The 23-year-old could again be a vital player for Flick's side in the coming season.

WHAT NEXT?

As mentioned, Barcelona, Forest and Udinese are competing in a first-ever Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup; Barcelona will now finish against the Italian team, with the game kicking off at 9pm UK time.

Forest, meanwhile, have two more friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and Brest on August 12 and August 16 respectively before opening their new Premier League campaign against Leeds United on August 22.