It was not a night of great news at the Camp Nou. Not only was Sergi Barjuan unable to get off to a winning start as caretaker coach, but Sergio Agüero and Gerard Piqué both had to leave the field injured. But at least one person had some reason to smile: Abdessamad Ezzalzouli.
The 19-year-old from Barça B was sent on for his senior debut in the 80th minute of the game, replacing Òscar Mingueza. Following the switch, Sergiño Dest moved to right back and the debutant took his place out wide.
Barça's first Moroccan-born player
Ez Abde, as he is known, has thus become the first Moroccan-born player to feature for Barça. Of course, there was Munir El Haddadi, but although he plays for the Moroccan national team, he was born and raised in Spain.
Born in Beni Mellal in central Morocco, he joined the Barça reserves this summer from Hercules in Alicante, where he had played 22 games in Division 2B and the Copa del Rey. He has played for his country at all youth levels, and is noted for his speed, ball control and rapid attacking moves. He can play with both feet, which means he can also play on either wing.
