FC Barcelona thrashed Feyenoord Rotterdam 5-1 at Camp Nou on Wednesday in their opening Champions League match of the season, with Raphinha scoring twice.
Karim Adeyemi opened his account for Barcelona in the 22nd minute, either side of Raphinha's goals in the 3rd and 57th minutes. Lamine Yamal added a fourth in the 77th minute before Gabriel Jesus completed the rout in the 85th.
Raphinha's early wonder goal
Raphinha opened the scoring inside three minutes with a goal that stood out even in a five-goal win. The move began with a first-time flick from Lamine Yamal into the path of the Brazilian forward, whose previous season had been disrupted by injuries but who returned to his best form over the summer.
Raphinha beat his marker with his first touch, then produced a devastating step inside the box that left Feyenoord defenders Charles Vanhoutte and Jeremiah St. Juste on the ground after they both attempted desperate tackles. He then slotted the ball past goalkeeper Tjark Ernst on a rain-soaked pitch.
Van Bronckhorst's praise
Feyenoord manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst said after the match that, based on the way it played, Barcelona were currently the best team in the world. He said Feyenoord had tried to score but there was too big a gap in quality between the two sides, and added that Barcelona could win this season's Champions League.
Van Bronckhorst played as a left back for Barcelona for four seasons, from 2003 to 2007.
Barcelona's season so far
Barcelona, managed by Hansi Flick, are already sole leaders of La Liga after four wins from four matches and 17 goals scored. The Catalan club were eliminated by Atletico Madrid in last season's Champions League quarterfinals, losing 2-1 after a 0-2 first-leg defeat.
Raphinha finished fifth in last year's Ballon d'Or voting. Barcelona last won the Champions League 12 years ago.
Other results in the Champions League
Other leading contenders for this season's title also sent early warnings across Europe. Manchester City won 2-0 away at Porto, while Arsenal won 1-0 away at Napoli. Two-time defending champion Paris Saint-Germain routed Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in a match that also featured Yaya Touré on the Slovak side.
