Raphinha responded to his Ballon d’Or shortlist exclusion on the pitch, scoring twice as Barcelona cruised past Feyenoord with a 5-1 Champions League victory.
The Brazilian was unexpectedly left out of the 30-player list announced this week, but showed no sign of frustration as he maintained his excellent early-season form at a rain-drenched Camp Nou. He produced a superb finish in the third minute before scoring again shortly before the hour, taking his record to eight goals from six appearances this season.
New recruit Karim Adeyemi found the net with a spectacular strike, Lamine Yamal guided a free-kick through an opening in the visitors’ defensive wall, and fellow newcomer Gabriel Jesus scored his first goal for the club only two minutes after coming on.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst had little reason to enjoy his return to Barça, although Sem Steijn gave the travelling supporters a late consolation by converting at the far post.
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick praised his players for operating as a unified side. He said they controlled the contest, imposed themselves throughout and demonstrated the style of football the team wants to produce.
Ferran Torres completed a hat-trick and Ousmane Dembélé delivered an influential display as Paris Saint-Germain opened their pursuit of a third successive Champions League crown with a commanding 6-1 win against Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
Dembélé, the previous Ballon d’Or winner, scored twice before the midpoint of the opening half in Paris. He then created the opportunity for Spain’s World Cup final hero Torres to put his team three goals ahead before half-time.
Torres, who arrived from Barcelona during the close season, struck twice soon after the break to secure his hat-trick before the 60-minute mark. Suleiman Camara scored a consolation goal for the Slovak champions, while Fabián Ruiz completed the scoring for the hosts.
In another match, Ermedin Demirovic scored three times in 12 first-half minutes to lead Stuttgart to a 3-1 triumph over Viking Stavanger.
Demirovic broke the deadlock after 20 minutes with a near-post touch. Viking, competing in the Champions League league phase for the first time, equalised only two minutes later when Zlatko Tripic finished a rapid counterattack with his left foot.
Demirovic restored Stuttgart’s advantage in the 26th minute and sealed his hat-trick six minutes later with a hooked volley. He described the performance as an ideal beginning for both himself and the entire team.
Sporting Lisbon, who reached last season’s quarter-finals for the first time since 1983, recovered from behind to defeat Galatasaray 3-1 in Lisbon.
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