Barcelona opened their 2026/27 La Liga campaign in grand style, cruising to a 5-0 victory over Elche at the Martínez Valero on Sunday.
Raphinha set the atmosphere 
for Hansi Flick’s side, converting a 14th-minute penalty before Karim Adeyemi doubled Barcelona’s advantage in first-half stoppage time.
The Catalan giants continued their dominance after the break, with Raphinha finding the net again after Gordon had passed the ball to him in the 67th minute to make it 3-0.
Fermín López then added two quick goals in the 71st and 79th minutes as Barcelona completed a convincing five-goal victory.
Newly signed English forward, Anthony Gordon coming off the bench in the second half had two assists for Raphinha and Fermin Lopez.
The result marks an impressive start to Barcelona’s title defence and underlines their attacking strength under Flick. Raphinha’s brace and López’s late double ensured the visitors finished the night with a commanding statement of intent.
Barcelona had been forced to wait for their league debut after their opening fixture was postponed to give players who featured at the 2026 World Cup additional rest. (FC Barcelona)
However, their return to competitive action proved worth the wait as the defending champions produced a dominant display to sweep aside Elche and begin their campaign with maximum points.
Raphinha was named the MVP of the match with two goals and one assist.
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