Spanish champions Barcelona opened their La Liga title defense and bid for a third successive crown on Sunday, August 23, 2026, with a 5-0 victory at Elche’s Martinez Valero Stadium. The dominant win featured braces from Raphinha and Fermin Lopez, alongside two assists on debut from Anthony Gordon.
A Dominant Opener Following Real Madrid’s Saturday Win
Barcelona cruised to a 5-0 win over Elche in their La Liga opener, making light work of a vulnerable Elche side. The display served as a warning to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid—who defeated Espanyol 2-1 on Saturday with a late winner—that the Catalans will not relinquish the title easily. Hansi Flick started with several regular starters on the bench as players continue to get up to speed following the World Cup.
Teenage winger Lamine Yamal, a key part of the triumphant World Cup Spain squad, started on the right but was far from his best, though it did not matter given Barcelona’s otherwise sparkling display. The scoring opened after 14 minutes when Raphinha was cut down in the box by Victor Chust and stroked home the resulting penalty to get Flick’s team on their way. Eric Garcia was sharp at the back to ward off a threatening Elche attack, while Barcelona’s Gavi caught the eye in midfield—admittedly more for his pink haircut to celebrate Spain’s triumph than for his performance.
Newcomers and Debuts Fuel the Second Half
Karim Adeyemi also found the net on his debut. Playing on the left, the rapid winger started shakily but grew into the game and doubled Barca’s lead before the break after Raphinha unselfishly set him up. In the second half, former Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon, on as a substitute, teed up Raphinha for his second, and then supplied Lopez for Barcelona’s fourth in an electric and impressive cameo.
Youngster Xavi Espart played in Lopez, who endured a difficult summer after missing Spain’s World Cup triumph through injury, for his second to seal Barcelona’s comfortable triumph. Flick’s high-line defence showed the occasional sign of its usual frailty, but goalkeeper Joan Garcia did well when called on to keep a clean sheet.
Tactical Shifts and Post-Match Reactions
Brazil international Raphinha lined up as the team’s number nine, after Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres left the club, and shone. Barcelona are still looking for a striker after Atletico Madrid rejected their bid to sign Julian Alvarez.
“I’ll leave that to the president,” said Raphinha, when asked if Barca needed to sign a number nine. “I am comfortable (anywhere) on the pitch.”
Speaking to Movistar and reporters after the game, Raphinha reflected on the performance.
“This is a difficult place to go and they’re a team that like to have the ball, but we did very well,” Raphinha told Movistar.
“Whether a game is easy or hard depends on us,” Raphinha told reporters after the game. “If we start playing at the maximum level, we’re likely to win. It was a very tough game, but we did our job.”
Elche defender Chust also shared his perspective on the difficult encounter after the final whistle.
“We were playing against a great team and you pay for your errors,” said Elche defender Chust. “It was a tough day but I’ll take from it that the team didn’t stop running.”
