Raphinha continued his remarkable start to the season with two goals as Barcelona cruised to a 5-1 victory over Feyenoord in their opening Champions League game on Wednesday.
The Brazilian forward struck twice, while Karim Adeyemi and Lamine Yamal also found the net before substitute Gabriel Jesus completed the rout, scoring his first goal since arriving from Arsenal during the summer.
Feyenoord managed a consolation through Sem Steijn, but Barcelona were already in complete control by then.
The victory extends Barcelona’s perfect start to the season, with Hansi Flick’s side now having won all five of their matches across competitions. They have scored five goals in four of those games.
Raphinha has played as a central forward following Barcelona’s decision to move on from Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, and the change has brought an extraordinary return.
The 29-year-old now has eight goals in five appearances.
“Playing in front of our fans we always have to show perfect football, or nearly perfect, and with the support of the fans it’s a lot easier,” Raphinha told Movistar after the match.
He was also quick to stress that Barcelona’s impressive opening should not lead to complacency.
“In a season as long as this, there are many ups and downs,” he said. “Starting the season like this obviously gives us a lot of confidence and we have to continue like this.”
Flick made five changes to the side that defeated Valencia in La Liga on Sunday but kept Raphinha and Yamal in the starting lineup, alongside new signing Rodri.
Heavy rain swept across Barcelona before kick-off, leaving the Camp Nou pitch slick as supporters rushed for cover. But by the time the downpour eased, Barcelona had already made the breakthrough.
Raphinha opened the scoring after just three minutes.
The Brazilian burst into the penalty area and cut inside, leaving two Feyenoord defenders struggling on the wet surface before calmly slotting the ball into the net.
Barcelona doubled their advantage when Adeyemi produced a superb effort from outside the box. The forward curled his shot beyond Feyenoord goalkeeper Tjark Ernst to make it 2-0.
Feyenoord briefly threatened through Anis Hadj Moussa, but Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia reacted well to keep out his effort at the near post.
Barcelona continued to create chances, with João Cancelo coming close to adding a third after beating Givairo Read before striking the outside of the post.
The third goal eventually arrived before the hour mark.
Raphinha raced onto a perfectly weighted through-ball from Pedri and calmly finished to score his second of the night.
Feyenoord thought they had immediately reduced the deficit when Nacho Ferri found the net, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review for an offside in the build-up.
Barcelona then stretched their lead further through Yamal, who scored directly from a free-kick after the ball found its way through the wall.
Feyenoord introduced Shaqueel van Persie, the 19-year-old son of former Netherlands international Robin van Persie, as they searched for a way back into the contest.
Steijn eventually gave the visitors something to celebrate when he escaped Jules Kounde and finished from Goncalo Borges’ dangerous low cross at the back post.
The goal, however, proved to be little more than a consolation.
Barcelona restored their four-goal advantage late in the game when Gabriel Jesus met Yamal’s cross with a glancing header to make it 5-1.
For Flick and his players, the emphatic result provided the perfect start to their Champions League campaign and continued a remarkable run of attacking form.
