Barcelona Crushes Feyenoord 5-1 as Raphinha Makes History
Barcelona crushed Feyenoord 5-1 in their Champions League opener as Raphinha scored a brace, becoming the first player in the 21st century to score in Barça's first five games.
Barcelona kicked off their Champions League campaign in devastating fashion on Wednesday, crushing Feyenoord 5-1 with a masterclass performance led by Raphinha.
Raphinha's Historic Start
Playing as a central forward, the Brazilian star bagged a brace to extend his incredible run to eight goals in just five matches across all competitions this season. Raphinha has now become the first Barcelona player in the 21st century to score in each of the team's first five games of a new campaign.
Barcelona as a whole have looked unstoppable, scoring five goals in four of their five matches so far: 5-0 against Elche, 5-2 against Rayo Vallecano, 5-0 against Valencia, and Wednesday's 5-1 rout against Feyenoord—all achieved without a traditional natural striker.
"We always need to present our fans with almost perfect football," Raphinha said after the match. "We are playing very well since the beginning of the season. In such a long season there are many ups and downs. Starting the season this way gives us confidence."
Team Chemistry and Ambitions
Raphinha also spoke about his collaboration with Lamine Yamal, who also got on the scoresheet:
"I know Lamine, because when things aren't going well he tends to drift a bit out of the game. I tried to encourage him and told him he was going to score... In the end he managed to score, and I was very happy for him."
Dani Olmo added: "We are happy that Lamine scored that free-kick. Lamine is ambitious. He always wants to score, to help the team win, and he always does it. We are a team that knows how to adapt perfectly. We are flexible, with players who can play in several positions. Expectations are always high. We are Barça."
