Barça opens with a ‘little hand’ to Feyenoord ‘its’ Champions League

FC Barcelona defeated Feyenoord (5-1) on the first day of the League Phase of the 2026/27 Champions League, in a Spotify Camp Nou at half throttle due to the forecast of rain – which made an appearance at the start of the match – but that scored 5 goals for a team that wants to demonstrate from the start that in this third year of the Flick project, in addition to dominating in Spain, it wants to extend the party to Europe.

They have done nothing more than start this Champions League and the rival, the second place in the previous Dutch Eredivisie, is not by far the strongest, but this Barça has laid the foundations for what it wants, and what it can, to teach in Europe. A lot of goals, a lot of control, some inaccuracy at the back that they must improve but, above all, a lot of head to go in search of an ‘Orejona’ that they have not raised since 2015. From very, very far back.

Hence the rush to score and win was seen from the beginning. The match started electric, like the storms that occurred in much of the province of Barcelona in the morning and under the rain that welcomed both teams on the grass of the Spotify Camp Nou. And, as soon as it began, the verticality of Hansi Flick’s team was evident in a good opportunity and in an early goal. Because Barça didn’t want to wait.

Why be cautious when you are confident and know you must win the game? Well that. On the second occasion; goal. And its author was Raphinha, the unleashed captain now who knows that he must be the ‘9’, although false, trustworthy. He has mobility, he has speed and he has a goal. This time, after receiving a ‘flash’ assist with a touch from Lamine Yamal to deceive two defenders with a light touch and hip dance and beat goalkeeper Tjark Ernst with a cross shot.

Barça continued to command the ball and found the second in the 22nd minute. Dani Olmo had tried it, from the front, but the one who made it 2-0 comfortably was the left winger Karim Adeyemi this time. Flick knew him, he asked for it, and so far the operation is going well. In his debut as a ‘culer’ in the Champions League, he caught the ball on the wing, went towards the center taking advantage of the large gap they gave him and, from a distance and from a distance, he beat Ernst. Great goal and usual celebration with his deadly backflip.

Feyenoord had some response, with a long-range shot by Zechiël that grazed the post and a drive by Hadj Moussa that ended without a penalty after being reviewed, but Barça remained comfortable. Lamine Yamal wanted to emulate, rather surpass, Adeyemi with a beautiful long shot from his right wing that brushed the Dutch corner and, shortly after, a connection with Dani Olmo ended with the winger falling in the area, protested but with nothing to observe from the VAR.

Feyenoord had their best chance before the break, with a counterattack that ended with a good chance from Hadj Moussa saved with the body of Joan Garcia. Barça responded by coming out quickly and João Cancelo, although he could have raised his head to see a teammate, opted for a whiplash that crashed into the post. Feyenoord was narrowly saved from 3-0.

With the score at 2-0, the break was reached and the Dutch team tried to change the scenario after passing through the locker room with the introduction of Oussama Targhalline for the discreet Spaniard Javi López, but he was unable to do so. Barça maintained control and struck again soon. Once again the clairvoyant magician Pedri saw a pass that no one else saw; a vertical line towards Raphinha who let the ball run between the centre-backs, gave two touches with his left foot to settle in and, on the third touch, the cross shot was unstoppable. 3-0 and double from the Brazilian.

Not even two minutes after that third shot, Feyenoord seemed to want to stay in the match, but Nacho Ferri’s goal was disallowed for offside prior to a long play in which the visiting team’s forward took advantage of a short rebound from Joan Garcia’s previous shot to score the brief 3-1, annulled by the VAR.

Barça did not lose control and Flick began to refresh the team. Marc Bernal and Anthony Gordon came in for Pedri and Karim Adeyemi and, later, the high-scoring Raphinha, scorer of 8 goals so far this season, left to make way for Fermín López. Feyenoord also moved the bench, with the entry of Shaqueel van Persie, son of former coach Robin van Persie, present in the stands, and Sem Steijn and Gonçalo Borges.

Fermín, as soon as he entered, looked for the door and forced Ernst to stretch, to fly, to deflect his good shot into a corner. A clear ‘false 9’ that came in wanting to ‘get wet’. But the one who found the goal again was Lamine Yamal, now as ‘captain’ after Raphinha’s replacement, taking advantage of a direct free kick in which he sensed a gap in the barrier, he shot powerfully at that fragile wall and the ball slipped into the net.

The Spotify Camp Nou was a total party. But Feyenoord did not want to leave empty-handed and, drawing on the pride of their young players, the recently introduced Sem Steijn, arriving from the second line and behind Jules Koundé, scored with a beaten Joan Garcia, without being able to do anything. That ‘average’ got a little tarnished. And, once again, Joan Garcia and Barça cannot leave a clean sheet, without achieving the ‘clean sheet’ that Flick seeks so much.

And the German coach then brought on Gabriel Jesus and Gavi for Dani Olmo and Rodri and, in almost his first ball, in his first dangerous action, the Brazilian international forward headed in, with his back to the goal and using intuition, a great cross from Lamine Yamal to make the score 5-1 and bring out, for the first time dressed in Blaugrana, his particular ‘telephone’ of celebration.

Once again, the Blaugrana’s ‘little hand’ is now closing the game. Raphinha, Adeyemi, Lamine Yamal and Gabriel Jesus scored the goals in a forceful European debut, with a lot of control and offensive capacity, although also with some aspects to correct at the back. Barça thus takes the first step on its path towards an ‘Orejona’ that knows that it is very far away, but that wants to get back up.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–RESULT: FC BARCELONA, 5 – FEYENOORD, 1 (2-0, at halftime).

–TEAMS.

FC BARCELONA: Joan Garcia; Koundé, Cubarsí, Christensen, Cancelo; Rodri (Gavi, min.83), Pedri (Bernal, min.63); Lamine Yamal, Olmo (Gabriel Jesus, min.83), Adeyemi (Gordon, min.63); y Raphinha (Fermín, min.71).

FEYENOORD: Ernst; Read, St. Juste, Watanabe, Mármol; Zechiël, Vanhoutte (Steijn, min.71), Valente (van den Elshout, min.83), Javi López (Targhalline, min.46); Moussa (Borges, min.72) y Ferri (van Persie, min.63).

–GOALS.

1-0, min.3: Raphinha.

2-0, min.22: Adeyemi.

3-0, min.57: Raphinha.

4-0, min.77: Lamine Yamal.

4-1, min.82: Steijn.

5-1, min.85: Gabriel Jesus.

–REFEREE: Sven Jablonski (GER). He cautioned Olmo (min.54) at FC Barcelona and Vanhoutte (min.27) at Feyenoord.

–STADIUM: Spotify Camp Nou, 45,838 spectators.