Barcelona opened their La Liga title defence with a 5-0 win at Elche on Sunday, and Raphinha was at the center of it from the start. He scored from the penalty spot after 14 minutes, later added a second, and Barcelona never let the game drift away from them.
The result gave Barcelona the kind of first step they wanted after winning their third successive crown. Raphinha and Fermin Lopez scored two goals each, and Barcelona also kept a clean sheet at Martinez Valero Stadium, a sharp statement from a team starting the season as champions.
That margin mattered because Hansi Flick did it with several regular starters on the bench, even in a league opener that could have tempted a safer lineup. Lamine Yamal started on the right wing, and the goals still came in waves: Raphinha opened from the spot after being fouled by Victor Chust, Raphinha then set up Karim Adeyemi for Barcelona's second before the break, Anthony Gordon later supplied Raphinha for his second, Gordon also fed Fermin Lopez for Barcelona's fourth, and Xavi Espart played in Fermin Lopez for his second.
The debut references around Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi matter because they show how quickly Barcelona turned the match into something broader than one scorer or one moment. Gordon was involved in two goals, Adeyemi found the net on his first appearance, and Barcelona still controlled the night without needing every regular to start.
Afterward, Raphinha said the result came down to Barcelona's own level. Whether a game is easy or hard depends on us, he said, adding that if Barcelona start playing at the maximum level, they are likely to win. He also called it a very tough game and said the team did its job. That is the shape of the opener now: a clean, ruthless win, and a reminder that the rest of La Liga has already been put on notice.
