Barcelona began their 2026/27 LaLiga campaign in emphatic fashion on Sunday, cruising to a 5-0 victory over Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, with Karim Adeyemi scoring on his competitive debut and Anthony Gordon providing two assists.
The Catalan giants had their Matchday 1 fixture postponed because several members of Hansi Flick’s squad were involved in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With seven of Spain’s World Cup-winning players only returning to training about two weeks ago, Barcelona initially looked short of their usual rhythm.
However, they quickly settled into the contest and took control through a Raphinha penalty before Adeyemi doubled the advantage shortly before half-time.
Barcelona started the second half with greater intensity and put the game beyond Elche’s reach. Raphinha scored his second of the night before Fermín López added two further goals to complete a comprehensive victory.
Gordon, who came on as a second-half substitute, made an immediate impact, registering two assists within a matter of minutes on his competitive debut for Barcelona.
The England international first raced forward before finding Raphinha, who calmly finished into the bottom corner. Gordon then produced another selfless moment, squaring for Fermín López to tap home after breaking through and finding himself one-on-one with Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro.
Fermín completed his brace with just over 10 minutes remaining, receiving the ball from left-back Xavi Espart before turning past his marker and firing into the bottom corner.
Adeyemi had earlier announced himself in impressive fashion. After narrowly missing the target in the 43rd minute, the German forward found the net in stoppage time following a superb move involving Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. Raphinha slipped the ball through the Elche defence, allowing Adeyemi to take a touch and curl a composed finish beyond Dituro.
Barcelona had taken the lead in the 13th minute when Victor Chust was adjudged to have brought down Raphinha inside the penalty area following a clever pass from Fermín López. Raphinha stepped up and confidently converted the spot-kick.
Elche had periods of pressure in the opening half but lacked the cutting edge needed to punish Barcelona. David Affengruber headed wide, while a dangerous Tete Morente cross also went begging.
Lamine Yamal came close to opening the scoring early on after being released down the right, but the teenage forward fired over from close range.
The victory represents an impressive start for Flick’s side as they begin their defence of the LaLiga title. Barcelona will next turn their attention to upcoming fixtures against Athletic Club and Rayo Vallecano.
Elche, meanwhile, will seek their first victory of the campaign when they face top-flight newcomers Racing de Santander.
With the transfer window entering its final stretch, Barcelona are still reportedly looking to strengthen their attack, with Atlético Madrid forward Julián Álvarez among the players linked with a move to the Catalan club.
But if their dominant display against Elche is anything to go by, Flick appears to have plenty of attacking options at his disposal as Barcelona begin their title defence in style.
