The Camp Nou pitch was slippery due to heavy rain when Barcelona hosted Feyenoord, but weather conditions could not prevent the home team from creating pressure. In the 3rd minute, Raphinha coordinated with Lamine Yamal on the right wing, turned the ball away from Jeremiah St. Juste and Charles Vanhoutte and then finished to open the score.
Feyenoord almost had no time to stabilize the squad as Barcelona continuously pressed. Karim Adeyemi doubled the gap with a beautiful shot from outside the penalty area, before Raphinha completed a double after Pedri's through ball, increasing the score to 3-0 before the 60th minute passed.
Nacho Ferri put the ball into Barcelona's net but the goal was disallowed due to offside. The home team still maintained pressure and scored 2 more goals. Lamine Yamal scored from a free kick, before Gabriel Jesus headed in to seal the 5-1 victory. Sem Steijn scored a consolation goal for Feyenoord.
This is the fourth time Barcelona has scored 5 goals in a match this season, even though they have only played 5 matches. After two consecutive La Liga titles under Hansi Flick, the ambition to conquer the Champions League is growing at Camp Nou. Barcelona has not won the tournament since 2015.
Raphinha is playing a particularly important role in Flick's plan. Appointed as the new captain, the Brazilian player also impressed when playing in the center forward position, instead of the two familiar corridors.
Raphinha has scored 8 goals this season and scored in all 5 of Barcelona's matches. According to statistics quoted by ESPN, this is an unprecedented achievement in the club since Cesar Rodriguez did the same in 1950.
Raphinha's performance in the Champions League is also very outstanding. He has directly participated in 28 goals in the last 3 seasons, only behind Harry Kane with 29 goals contributing in the same period.
However, Raphinha's value is not only in numbers. He continuously puts pressure on the opponent's defense, actively supports defense and sets high requirements for the intensity of play for his teammates. Lamine Yamal also admitted before the match that Barcelona would not be able to win if they lacked pressing ability.
Yamal also left his mark with his 12th goal in the Champions League. After scoring, Yamal ran to the bench area to celebrate with Raphinha. The Barcelona captain revealed that he wanted to encourage his junior after Yamal once showed signs of losing focus in unfavorable playing times.
Gabriel Jesus also made his mark in his Barcelona debut in the Champions League with a header to seal the score. This is Barcelona's 22nd goal this season, only 23 goals behind the record after 5 matches set in the 1950-1951 season.
Although the attack is operating effectively, Barcelona still has questions in defense. Rodri helps Blaugrana control the match better, but not adding a central defender in the summer could become a problem when they have to face stronger opponents.
With his current form, Barcelona has the right to believe that they possess one of the most watched teams in Europe. And if Raphinha continues to maintain this form, his return to the Ballon d'Or race next year is entirely possible.
