Barcelona could hardly have asked for a better start to their La Liga title defence.
The champions produced a dominant performance against Elche, winning 5-0 and immediately sending a message to their rivals that they have no intention of slowing down.
Raphinha was at the centre of everything. The Brazilian winger scored twice and looked dangerous throughout the match, giving Barcelona the attacking spark they needed to completely overwhelm Elche.
One of the biggest talking points was also the contribution from new signing Karim Adeyemi. The forward marked his Barcelona debut with a goal, giving supporters an early glimpse of what he could bring to the team.
Barcelona’s performance became even more impressive after half-time. Anthony Gordon came off the bench and immediately made an impact, providing assists that helped Raphinha and Fermín López add to the scoreline.
López eventually completed his own brace, putting the finishing touch on a performance that had long since moved beyond doubt.
There was one concern for Barcelona, however. Gavi was forced off before half-time after appearing to suffer a knee problem. The club will now be hoping the midfielder’s issue is not serious.
Aside from that worry, it was almost the perfect opening weekend for Barcelona.
Five goals, a clean sheet and an attacking display full of confidence will have supporters dreaming about another successful season.
The challenge now is consistency. A brilliant opening game means little if the team cannot maintain that level throughout the campaign.
But if this performance is anything to go by, Barcelona have started their title defence in emphatic fashion.
