Barcelona launched their La Liga title defence with a commanding 5-0 victory away at Elche on Sunday, as captain Raphinha scored twice and provided an assist in a dominant display at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero.
The Brazilian opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 14th minute after being fouled by Víctor Chust. He then set up debutant Karim Adeyemi for the second goal in first-half stoppage time. Substitute Anthony Gordon created two more after the break, first assisting Raphinha’s second goal in the 67th minute and then Fermín López’s first shortly after. López completed the scoring with a second goal in the 79th minute.
Hansi Flick’s side controlled the match with high pressing and clinical finishing despite playing without a traditional centre-forward. Gavi left the field just before half-time with a knee concern, replaced by Pedri. Lamine Yamal started but was substituted midway through the second half.
Raphinha, deployed as a false nine, told reporters afterwards: “Whether a game is easy or hard depends on us. If we start playing at the maximum level, we’re likely to win. It was a very tough game, but we did our job.” On the question of needing a dedicated striker, he added: “I’ll leave that to Deco, the chairman and the manager. As for us, whatever the manager asks of us, we’ll do it with great determination. We’re capable of adapting to any position.” His Spider-Man celebration after the first goal was for his son, who is currently a fan of the character.
Flick praised the result: “We are happy that we won 5-0 and got three points because this is a fantastic start for us. It gives us the confidence we need for the next matches. At the end, a clean sheet, we defend very well, this is fantastic. Five goals against this team is very good, too.”
Gordon, making his competitive debut after joining from Newcastle, said: “I feel so good. I have felt so good since I arrived. The guys have made me feel so welcome, I feel at home already. It was a top performance. I think it was the perfect start, five goals scored and none conceded.”
The win marked an emphatic start for the back-to-back champions as they chase a third successive La Liga crown. Adeyemi and Gordon both made strong first impressions in their new colours.
