KEY POINTS

  • Both Dembele's goals came in the first half
  • He recently renewed his contract with Barcelona
  • The Catalans will next take on New York Bulls on Saturday

Ousmane Dembele netted a brace in FC Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Juventus in their pre-season meeting Tuesday.

Dembele, who started the game for Barcelona, played only in the first 45 minutes but that was enough for the Frenchman to deliver. He opened the scoring in the 34th minute before doubling Barcelona's lead a few minutes before the half-time break.

The first goal from Dembele was a solo effort as the talented forward dodged Juventus' Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro and struck the opener with his right foot.

Juventus' 22-year-old forward Moise Kean netted an equalizer a few minutes later, but Dembele took just 60 seconds to score Barca's second. It was another excellent solo effort and once again, he went past Cuadrado and Sandro and found the bottom corner with a fine finish.

Dembele, who moved from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona in 2017, has been an injury-prone player. Even last season, Dembele missed around 16 games due to various injuries. While he scored only two goals for Barcelona in the 2021-22 season, Dembele provided 13 assists, with most of the efforts coming in the campaign's second half.

After months of negotiations, Dembele recently renewed his contract with Barcelona. It was reported that the financially struggling Barcelona convinced him to accept a 40% pay cut. In return, the club offered him a short-term deal as per the player's wish.

Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele has been at FC Barcelona since 2017. Photo by Cristian Trujillo/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Barcelona's first pre-season game ended in a 1-1 draw against a fifth-tier Spanish club Olot. After this, the Catalans thrashed Inter Miami 6-0, and defeated Real Madrid 1-0, before drawing with Juventus at Cottom Bowl in Texas on Tuesday.

Xavi Hernandez has been having a busy summer transfer window as he aims to bolster Barcelona's squad ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. The Camp Nou side has made some interesting signings, including Raphinha from Leeds United and Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich.

Barcelona are currently in talks with Sevilla defender Jules Kounde. While personal terms with the France defender have already been reached, an agreement between the clubs is yet to be secured, according to Fabrizio Romano, who has a credible record in the European transfer market.

Barcelona's next game is against New York Red Bulls and is scheduled to take place Saturday at Red Bull Arena.

RELATED STORIES