FC Barcelona began their La Liga title defence with a 5-0 win away at Elche on Sunday, with Raphinha and Fermín López each scoring twice in the competition's second round.
The reigning champions overcame a shaky opening spell at Elche's Estadio Martínez Valero. Raphinha converted a penalty to put Barcelona ahead, before Karim Adeyemi added a second just before half time. Raphinha and Fermín López then each added a further goal in the second half to complete the rout.
Barcelona go into the season as La Liga's defending champions.
Raphinha's penalty opens the scoring
Elche started the brighter of the two sides and caused early problems for Joan García's goal. In the sixth minute, Lamine Yamal broke down the right and had a clear sight of goal but fired his shot over the bar.
Barcelona took the lead in the 13th minute when defender Víctor Chust brought down Raphinha inside the area and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Raphinha stepped up himself a minute later and beat goalkeeper Dituro with a powerful shot to his left-hand post to make it 1-0.
After scoring, Raphinha celebrated in a Spider-Man pose, which prompted speculation on social media that it may have been a nod to Atlético Madrid forward Julián Álvarez.
Elche pushed for an equaliser through Morente, Niño and Aguado, and Ali Houari came close in the 34th minute when he narrowly failed to connect with a low cross from the right. Adeyemi also went close for Barcelona in the 42nd minute, shooting just wide after a strong individual run.
Gavi injury overshadows first half
Barcelona's afternoon was interrupted in the 44th minute when midfielder Gavi had to be replaced by Pedri after appearing to be in pain and clutching his knee.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Barcelona doubled their lead. Raphinha combined with Adeyemi, the former Borussia Dortmund forward, who finished to make it 0-2. The teams went in at the break with Barcelona firmly in control.
Barcelona pull away in the second half
Attendance for the match was later confirmed by La Liga at 30,704 spectators inside the Martínez Valero, a stadium with a capacity of more than 31,000.
Elche began to lose their composure around the hour mark, giving the ball away repeatedly as Barcelona's forwards waited to pounce. Head coach Hansi Flick responded to a triple substitution from Elche, who brought on Cepeda, Neto and Buonanotte for Morente, Aguado and Houari, by sending on Dani Olmo and Anthony Gordon in place of Adeyemi and Lamine Yamal.
Gordon needed just seven minutes to make an impact on his debut. In the 67th minute, the British forward set up Raphinha for his second goal of the afternoon, making it 3-0.
Elche almost pulled one back in the 69th minute when Facundo Buonanotte's shot struck the post. Barcelona responded immediately, with Gordon again turning provider two minutes later as Fermín López scored to make it 4-0.
Fermín completed his brace in the 78th minute with what was described as a fine goal, finishing with a surprise turn after a sharp pass between the lines to make it 5-0. In the 84th minute, Gordon himself tried his luck at goal after his two assists, but Dituro made a comfortable save. The referee added three minutes of stoppage time before blowing the final whistle on a 5-0 win for Barcelona.
Lineups and team news
With Barcelona still looking to sign a recognised striker, Flick opted to start Adeyemi as a makeshift number nine for the trip to Elche.
Barcelona lined up with Joan García in goal, behind a back four of Eric García, Christensen, Gerard Martín and Xavi Espart. Raphinha, Adeyemi and Bernal played across midfield, with Gavi, Fermín López and Lamine Yamal completing the starting eleven.
Elche started with Dituro in goal, Bubba, Affengruber, Redondo and Víctor Chust in defence, Villar, Aguado and Germán Valera in midfield, and Morente, Ali Houari and F. Niño leading the attack.
Barcelona also used the day to unveil a new kit on social media, which the club wore for the first time in the match against Elche.
Head-to-head and how to watch
Barcelona had won three of the previous five meetings between the two clubs, including a 4-0 win at Elche in April 2023 and a 3-1 home win in November 2025. Elche's most recent win in the fixture came in January 2026, when they lost 3-1 at Barcelona, and Elche had beaten Barcelona 2-1 away in March 2022.
The match kicked off at 9:30 p.m. in Spain. In South America, it was shown on ESPN via the DGO streaming platform, while viewers in Spain watched on M+ LaLiga and LaLiga TV Bar. In the United States the game was broadcast on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, and in Mexico on Sky Sports.
Barcelona went into the match as clear favourites with bookmakers. Betano priced a Barcelona win at 1.40, a draw at 5.60 and an Elche win at 7.70, while Bet365 offered odds of 1.36, 5.50 and 7.50 respectively for the same outcomes.
