Rakitic: The goal is for my wife & kids, who put up with me in lockdown
The Croatian came off the bench to net the winner against Athletic
Ivan Rakitic has had to wait a long time for a Barcelona goal but it finally arrived on Tuesday as he scored the winner against Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou.
Rakitic came off the bench in the second half to score in the 71st minute, finding the net for the first time since his effort against Real Madrid in the Clasico in March 2019.
"The first thing I want to do is dedicate the goal to my wide and my daughters, who have had to put up with me for the last few months," he said. "I am delighted for them, too.
"Having to wait until the 31st game of the season to celebrate my first goal is not normal. But I am happy that it helped the team and helped us get three important points."
On the game, he added: "It was a tough match. Athletic did well and were a complicated opponent. Nothing is easy. They defended well, left no space.
"We lacked some patience and didn't move the ball quick enough, which are aspects we must improve upon in the coming games. But after the break, nothing is easy."
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