Barcelona opened the defence of their La Liga title with a statement, thrashing Elche 5-0 away from home on Sunday as Hansi Flick's side put on a ruthless second-half display to launch the new season.
Raphinha set the tone in the 14th minute, converting a penalty after Elche defender Víctor Chust brought him down in the box. Karim Adeyemi, signed over the summer, added a second in first-half stoppage time to send Barcelona in comfortably ahead at the break.
The floodgates properly opened after the interval. Raphinha struck again in the 67th minute before Fermín López came off the bench to score twice in the space of eight minutes, in the 71st and 79th, turning a routine win into a rout.
ONE reported that the result made Barcelona only the second team in 15 years to open a La Liga season with a 5-0 away win, a striking marker for a club looking to make an early statement after last season's success.
Spanish outlet Marca, cited by ONE, praised the efficiency of the display, saying Barcelona "punished Elche for every mistake," while AS described the team as "unstoppable" once they wrestled control of the second half, particularly when winning the ball back high up the pitch.
Flick used the occasion to manage his squad carefully coming off a taxing close season that followed the World Cup, resting several regular starters and turning to fresh legs off the bench, including a debut outing for Anthony Gordon, who set up two of the goals after coming on.
The one sour note of the afternoon was Gavi's withdrawal in the 44th minute. The midfielder sat down on the pitch, removed his shin guards and pointed to his right knee before signalling he could not continue, with Pedri sent on in his place just before half-time.
It is the same knee in which Gavi ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and damaged his meniscus in November 2023, and Barcelona said they would assess the injury with an MRI. Flick confirmed after the match: "Yes, it's in the knee. We have to wait," declining to speculate further until scans are complete.
For a club that has learned to be wary of injury news involving that specific joint, the caution was notable even amid an otherwise perfect start to the campaign.
