Barcelona opened their La Liga title defence with a commanding 5-0 victory over Elche on Sunday, sending an early warning to defending runner-up Real Madrid that the Spanish champions intend to win a third consecutive crown.
Raphinha scored twice, Fermin Lopez added two more, and Karim Adeyemi scored on his debut at Martinez Valero Stadium, according to Al Jazeera. New signing Anthony Gordon, a former Newcastle United winger, came off the bench and set up two goals in an impressive cameo.
The result came one day after Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 2-1 with a late winner to open their own campaign.
Manager Hansi Flick rested several regular starters, with some players still returning to form following the World Cup. Teenage winger Lamine Yamal, part of Spain's World Cup-winning squad, started on the right but was not at his sharpest. It did not affect the outcome.
Raphinha opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 14 minutes following a foul by Victor Chust. Adeyemi doubled the lead before halftime after Raphinha set him up. The second half belonged to Gordon, who assisted Raphinha's second and then teed up Lopez for the fourth. Youngster Xavi Espart then played in Lopez for his second and Barcelona's fifth.
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia kept a clean sheet despite Flick's high defensive line showing occasional vulnerability.
Raphinha spoke to reporters after the match. "Whether a game is easy or hard depends on us," he said. "If we start playing at the maximum level, we're likely to win. It was a very tough game, but we did our job."
Barcelona's next La Liga fixture has not yet been announced.
