Belgian-born Ghanaian prospect Jesse Bisiwu announced himself in emphatic fashion, scoring twice as FC Barcelona swept aside FC Basel 5-2 in an entertaining pre-season encounter at St. Jakob-Park on Sunday evening.
The highly rated attacker, who recently completed his switch to the Catalan giants from Club Brugge, was introduced from the bench but wasted little time making his presence felt. His late double provided a spectacular finish to an otherwise commanding Barcelona performance.
Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when Karim Adeyemi converted to give the visitors a deserved lead. The Spanish side maintained their momentum after the interval, with Hamza Abdelkarim extending the advantage just four minutes into the second half.
Lamine Yamal then appeared to put the result beyond doubt in the 81st minute, adding a third goal as Barcelona continued to dictate proceedings.
But the closing stages belonged to Bisiwu.
The Ghanaian youngster burst into the spotlight in the 89th minute, finding the net to register his first goal of the evening. Barely two minutes later, he struck again, completing a sensational brace and putting the finishing touches to a memorable individual cameo.
Jesse Bisiwu set for Barcelona first-team role after Club Brugge agreement
Basel managed to restore some pride with two goals from Jean Doucoure and Kazeem Olaigbe, but the Swiss outfit ultimately had no answer to Barcelona’s attacking firepower as the visitors comfortably saw out the contest.
For Bisiwu, the performance represents a significant early statement as he begins life at one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs.
The youngster is expected to spend the bulk of the upcoming campaign with Barça Atlètic, where he will continue his development and compete for regular playing time, while his progress could also earn him opportunities with Barcelona’s senior side during the season.
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His brace against Basel will undoubtedly strengthen his case as he looks to make the leap from promising recruit to a genuine first-team prospect in Catalonia.
