By Amofokhai Williams
Barcelona began their UEFA Champions League league-phase campaign with a commanding 5-1 win over Feyenoord on Wednesday, as Lamine Yamal created two goals and scored a third before Gabriel Jesus headed in a late fifth.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the third minute, finishing Yamal’s through ball into the bottom left corner.
João Cancelo then teed up Karim Adeyemi, who drove in from the edge of the box for 2-0 in the 22nd minute. Cancelo later struck the post, while Feyenoord’s Anis Hadj Moussa forced a save from Joan García and Gjivai Zechiel volleyed just wide.
After the break Pedri slipped Raphinha in to make it 3-0 in the 57th minute. Nacho briefly answered for the visitors two minutes later, only for VAR to wipe out a second Feyenoord effort for offside. Yamal then bent a free kick inside the right post in the 77th minute after Jeremiah St. Juste’s foul.
Sem Steijn pulled one back from close range in the 82nd minute, assisted by substitute Gonçalo Borges, before Yamal lofted a cross for Jesus, on for Dani Olmo, to head in at 85 minutes. Jesus almost added another in stoppage time, hitting the bar.
Hansi Flick used the second half to rotate. Pedri and Adeyemi made way for Marc Bernal and Anthony Gordon; Raphinha was withdrawn for Fermín; Rodri and Olmo made room for Gavi and Jesus. Giovanni van Bronckhorst introduced Oussama Targhalline at the interval and later sent on Steijn, Borges, Shaqueel van Persie and Tobias van den Elshout.
Feyenoord were repeatedly caught offside and struggled to live with Barcelona’s combinations. Charles Vanhoutte and Olmo were booked.
