New Barcelona coach starts with a victory

Barcelona have beaten Spain's oldest football club Huelva 1-0 in coach Luis Enrique's first game in charge of the Spanish giants.

Barcelona's new coach Luis Enrique enjoyed a 1-0 win on Saturday in his first game in charge, a pre-season friendly against second division club Recreativo de Huelva.

In the absence of star strikers Lionel Messi, Neymar and new signing Luis Suarez, Enrique gave a workout to substitutes and B-team youngsters such as Joan Roman, 21, who scored Barca's 65th-minute winner.

Enrique is overhauling the squad after a disappointing season in which Barcelona narrowly failed to defend their Spanish league title.

Barcelona have said goodbye to stalwarts such as Carles Puyol, goalkeeper Victor Valdes and midfielder Cesc Fabregas, and have made several new signings.

These include two new goalkeepers, Ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo, and Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic.

Argentine ace Messi and Brazil's Neymar were on holiday after playing in the World Cup.

Uruguay's Suarez is serving a four-month FIFA ban for biting an opponent at the World Cup.

Saturday's friendly marked the 50th edition of the Colombino Trophy, an annual fixture hosted by Huelva that celebrates its proud history as Spain's oldest football club.


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