With goals from Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, Barcelona thrashed 5-0 to Real Betis at the Camp Nou this Saturday on the fifth date of the Spanish LaLiga, to climb to first place in the standings, with a total of 12 points, and until Real Madrid plays its match against Real Sociedad this Sunday.
Read also: Newcastle returned to victory against Brentford
The two Portuguese internationals made their debut on the last day with Barcelona as substitutes two days after joined the defending champions of the Spanish first division on loan, a few hours before the summer transfer market closed.
Félix scored in the 25th minute and then deftly let a pass slip through his legs in the box for Robert Lewandowski to fire home to double the lead in the 32nd.
Ferran Torres, also making his first start of the season, added a third goal in the 62nd when he sent a free kick that grazed the edge of the defensive wall and was out of the reach of goalkeeper Rui Silva.
Raphinha, after replacing Torres, scored from outside the area in the 66th. Cancelo crowned the victory in the 81st with a great solo effort after cutting back twice to get rid of his marker and beat Silva from an angle.
Joao Félix seeks to raise his career
Félix moved to Barcelona in a bid to relaunch a promising career that had stalled after the 23-year-old fell out with Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone and failed to impress with a loan deal at Chelsea Last season.
His goal came after Cancelo recovered the ball and Oriol Romeu met his run into the box with a lofted pass. Felix missed his first attempt to hit the ball, but was quick enough to dribble past Silva and shoot from a tight angle.
“I'm working to play the best I can,” Felix said. “My teammates are very good, the atmosphere is very positive and they make it easy to play with them. The change of team has been good for me.”
The shark attacks
Torres, who had to fight for playing time last season and was dropped from the Spanish squad after the World Cup, has enjoyed a big turnaround.
The striker leads Barcelona, along with Lewandowksi, with three goals this season and scored twice for Spain on Tuesday in his return to the national team.
His goal on Saturday was also the first that a Barcelona player scored directly from a free kick since Lionel Messi did it against Valencia in May 2021, according to OPTA statistics.
The crowd at Barcelona's home chanted “Jaws!” – “shark” in Spanish – after his great goal.
In the rest of the day
- Rayo Vallecano 2-0 Alavés
- Athletic 3-0 Cádiz
- Valencia 3-0 Atlético Madrid
- Celta Vigo 0-1 Mallorca
AP
