Barcelona kicked off their Champions League campaign with a resounding 5-1 victory over Dutch side Feyenoord at Camp Nou on Wednesday. The Catalan giants, five-time European champions, showcased their attacking prowess with a dominant display from start to finish.

Brazilian winger Raphinha, who has been deployed as a central striker following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, opened the scoring after just three minutes. He weaved past two defenders on the slick surface before slotting home. Raphinha has now scored eight goals in five appearances this season, continuing his remarkable form.

Karim Adeyemi doubled the lead with a stunning long-range curler, while teenage sensation Lamine Yamal added a third with a clever free-kick that crept through the wall. Raphinha completed his brace early in the second half, latching onto Pedri's perfect through-ball to make it 3-0.

Feyenoord pulled one back through Sem Steijn, but Barcelona sealed the emphatic win when substitute Gabriel Jesus scored his first goal for the club since joining from Arsenal, glancing home a header from Yamal's cross.

The match was preceded by a heavy storm in Barcelona, which left the pitch wet and made conditions tricky. Coach Hansi Flick made five changes to the side that thrashed Valencia at the weekend, but kept key attackers Yamal and Raphinha in the starting lineup.

Barcelona, who last won the Champions League in 2015, have now won all five matches across all competitions this season, scoring five goals in four of them. Their impressive start under Flick suggests they could be serious contenders for European glory once again.

Source: www.aljazeera.com