Raja Casablanca was no match for Tito Vilanova's boys. The very same Moroccan side which, just two weeks ago, hammered Athletic de Bilbao, were made to look like amateurs against Barcelona in Tangier (8-0).

Tito started out with seven players from the first team, a statistic which ought to have little significance were it not for the fact that one of the seven was Messi. The Argentine, who missed the first pre-season match through injury, was back in Tangier and gave a star performance. He took full advantage of Barcelona's attacking football during the hour or so he was on the field, scoring three goals and linking well with Afellay and Alexis in attack.

Afellay, who was especially fired up to play in Morocco, did not have any luck where goals were concerned. The one player who was exceptional was Alexis, who scored twice, first latching on to a pass from Alves, and then taking full advantage of a move by Afellay to score again. Later on he was brought down, bringing Barcelona a penalty.