Barcelona thrash Elche 5-0 to open La Liga campaign with a rout
Barcelona secured a 5-0 away win over Elche, with Rafinha and Fermin Lopez each scoring twice in the second round of La Liga. The Catalan side moved into the upper part of the standings after the win.
Barcelona delivered a dominant 5-0 away victory over Elche in the second round of Spain's La Liga, marking the team's first goals of the season.
Rafinha opened the scoring in the 14th minute, converting a penalty after being fouled inside the box. Elche tried to respond with occasional attacking moves, but without success — in the 24th minute, defender Bouba Sangare fought his way into a dangerous position and delivered a pass into the box, but Barcelona's defense cleared the danger.
Just before halftime, an inaccurate throw-in by Elche allowed Barcelona to launch a swift counterattack. Rafinha set up Karim Adeyemi, signed from Borussia Dortmund, who scored his first La Liga goal to make it 2-0.
In the second half, another summer signing entered the pitch — former Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon. Just two minutes after coming on, he assisted Rafinha's second goal of the match, and four minutes later set up Fermin Lopez, extending the lead to 4-0.
The rout was completed by Fermin Lopez's second goal, as the Spanish midfielder elegantly turned near the edge of the box and beat goalkeeper Matias Dituro to make it 5-0.
Barcelona will next host Athletic Club from Bilbao on Thursday. After two rounds, the Catalans sit among the league leaders with a maximum points tally, despite having played fewer matches than some rivals.
