Barcelona put on a second spectacular display of aggressive football at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium in the span of four days, utterly overwhelming Belgian champions Royal Antwerp and winning 5-0 in Tuesday night’s Champions League group stage opening. The mood remains impeccable for the Blaugrana. Barça made a statement as they started a new European adventure in commanding style by performing brilliantly as a team, scoring some beautiful goals, and dominating the game.
Champions League matchup between Barcelona and Royal Antwerp: Final Score: 5-0, Barça dominates home group stage opening
This might have turned out to be one of those games where the stronger team takes the inferior side for granted and ends up in big trouble. In contrast, Barça was aggressive in the first half, pressing high up the field to quickly win the ball back and then moving it purposefully to find openings and create opportunities.
After attempting to attack for five minutes straight, Antwerp was soon trapped back and had to defend desperately, but they had little hope against the Blaugrana machine. Before we even reached the midpoint of the first quarter, Barça had essentially sealed the victory thanks to their quick thinking and efficiency.
Joo Félix scored for the second game in a row with an exquisite finish to find the bottom corner as Barça scored three goals in ten minutes, beginning in the eleventh minute when a lovely passing move through the middle culminated with a stunning assist by Ilkay Gündogan and a great goal from Joo Félix.
After receiving an incredible through ball from Frenkie de Jong and selecting out a brilliant cross to send Robert Lewandowski all alone at the far post to volley home the second, it was Félix’s turn to contribute eight minutes later. After yet another brilliant passing play, Raphinha sent in a cross that was blocked by Antwerp defender Jelle Bataille and deflected in off the post for the third goal.
In the second half, Barça’s intensity naturally dropped because the game was so simple for them. However, they never let Antwerp gain confidence, and the Belgians never posed a real threat to the Catalans.
Barça were doing brilliantly at the break, and the victory was all but guaranteed. The only question was whether the home squad would have the desire to score additional goals in the second half.
DEUXIME HALF
In the second half, Barça came out with a fresh sense of purpose and vigor, eager to press forward and score more goals. It was encouraging to watch, and it paid off when the Blaugrana widened the lead and gave the Montjuc fans more causes to rejoice.
Ten minutes into the half, Gavi scored the fourth goal following yet another exquisite passing sequence inside the penalty area. Following a few efforts being blocked, the ball dropped to Gavi, who sent a rocket into the roof of the net from close range. With 25 minutes remaining, Joo Félix had the opportunity to double his total for the game by converting a beautiful cross from Raphinha at the far post to make it five for the home team.
All five changes were done by Xavi Hernández in order to rest some players and allow young players like Fermn López and Lamine Yamal the opportunity to play longer periods of time in Europe for the first time. Both players were enthusiastic and lively, and they assisted Barça in continuing to create opportunities up until the very end of the game.
Unfortunately, no further goals were scored, leaving Barça with simply a second straight 5-0 thrashing at home at the end of the game. By totally overwhelming the weakest team in the group and playing excellent football to maintain the winning streak, this was the ideal way to begin a new European adventure. Right now, this team is a lot of pleasure to watch, and it’s wonderful to just enjoy watching Barça once more. The team is in good shape and prepared for the upcoming tougher games.
Ter Stegen, Kounde, Christensen, Balde, Cancelo (Roberto 76′), Gündogan, De Jong (Romeu 58′), Gavi (Fermn 58′), Raphinha (Yamal 68′), Lewandowski, and Félix (Ferran 68′) are the Barcelona players.
Lewandowski (19′), Bataille (OG 22′), Joo Félix (11′, 66′), and Gavi (54′) all scored goals.
Vermereen, Keita, Ekkelenkamp (Yusuf 60′), Muja (Valencia 83′), Janssen (Ilenikhena 60′), and Balikwisha (De Laet 60′) are the players for Antwerp. Butez is the quarterback.
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