Affengruber and Elche Crushed by Barca

FC Barcelona secured a dominant away victory in their first match of the season against Elche CF. The "Blaugrana" cruised to a clear 5-0 win against David Affengruber's side on La Liga's second matchday.

The Catalans set the tone for victory early: Following a foul by Victor on Raphinha in the box, the fouled player himself converted the ensuing penalty (14').

The "Franjiverdes" held their own for a significant period, but just before the halftime whistle, the visitors managed to exploit their dominance. Former Salzburg player Adeyemi extended the lead to 2-0 with his maiden goal, perfectly set up by Raphinha (45'+3).

The only sour note for the champions was Gavi's injury-forced substitution just minutes earlier – once again, the midfielder's right knee, where he had previously torn his ACL and meniscus, was affected.

Barca Overruns Elche in Second Half

While Elche barely featured after the break, the "Blaugrana" truly hit their stride: Raphinha completed his brace following an assist from Anthony Gordon (67'), and Fermin Lopez sealed the victory shortly thereafter (71').

It was also the attacking midfielder who secured the final 5-0 scoreline (79').

For Barca, this was only their first La Liga match of the season – their fixture from Matchday 1 against Athletic Bilbao will be played next Thursday.

Atletico Draws - Real Wins

Earlier in the afternoon, Atletico could only manage a 2-2 draw against Villarreal – the transfer-eager Julian Alvarez was met with a chorus of boos in his first home game (all info >>>).

Meanwhile, Getafe secured a late winner against Racing Santander through Enes Ünal (81'). The day before, Real Madrid kicked off their season with a last-minute victory (to the match report >>>).