Barcelona Crush Feyenoord 5-1 in Champions League Opener

Raphinha shone with two goals as Barcelona thrashed Feyenoord 5-1 to kick off their Champions League campaign on Wednesday.

Karim Adeyemi scored a stunning long-range goal between Raphinha's strikes. Lamine Yamal also scored from a free-kick as Hansi Flick’s team made it easy against their Dutch visitors.

After Sem Steijn scored for Feyenoord, Barca substitute Gabriel Jesus added a fifth goal. This was Jesus’s first goal since moving from Arsenal this summer.

Barcelona, who last lifted the Champions League trophy in 2015, has won all five matches this season. They have scored five goals in four of those games.

Raphinha has been playing as a forward after the club sold Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. He has quickly adapted, netting eight goals in five matches.

“Playing in front of our fans, we always have to show perfect football, or nearly perfect,” Raphinha told Movistar. “With the support of the fans, it’s a lot easier.”

He added that despite the good start, the season is long. “In a season as long as this, there are many ups and downs,” Raphinha said. “Starting the season like this gives us a lot of confidence, and we have to keep it going.”

Flick made five changes from the team that beat Valencia on Sunday in La Liga. But he kept key players Yamal and Raphinha, along with new signing Rodri.

After a spell of hot weather in Barcelona, a storm hit just before the match, drenching the Camp Nou pitch and forcing fans to find cover. By the time the rain stopped early in the first half, Barcelona was already in the lead.

Raphinha opened the scoring just three minutes in. The Brazilian made a quick run into the box, tricked two defenders, and then slotted home.

Adeyemi, replacing Anthony Gordon, doubled the lead with a fantastic strike from outside the box, beating Feyenoord goalkeeper Tjark Ernst.

Anis Hadj Moussa tried to threaten for Feyenoord, but Joan Garcia saved his shot at the near post. Barcelona kept creating chances, and defender Joao Cancelo almost made it three when he beat Givairo Read and hit the outside of the post.

Raphinha scored again before the hour mark, running onto Pedri’s perfect pass and finishing with ease. Feyenoord thought they had pulled one back when Nacho Ferri scored, but it was ruled offside after a VAR check.

Yamal scored Barcelona’s fourth from a free-kick that slipped through the wall. This was his first goal of this kind for the club.

Feyenoord brought on Shaqueel van Persie, the 19-year-old son of former Dutch star Robin van Persie, to try to make an impact. Steijn eventually found the net for the visitors after escaping Jules Kounde, with Goncalo Borges assisting him with a low cross to the back post.

This was the only blemish in Barcelona’s strong start to the league phase, which ended with Jesus’s flicked header from Yamal’s cross for the fifth goal.