Spanish champions Barcelona cruised to a 5-0 win over Elche on Sunday in their La Liga opener with Raphinha and Fermin Lopez scoring twice each and Anthony Gordon setting up two goals on his debut. Earlier, Atletico Madrid salvaged a 2-2 draw against Villarreal despite having defender Robin Le Normand sent off. After watching Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid defeat Espanyol 2-1 on Saturday with a late winner, Barcelona’s display warned the Portuguese coach that the Catalans will not relinquish the title easily.
It give us the confidence we need for the next matches. In the second half, former Newcastle United winger Gordon, on as a substitute, teed up Raphinha for his second and then supplied Lopez for Barca’s fourth in an electric and impressive cameo. In the capital, Giuliano Simeone grabbed Atletico a draw after Gerard Moreno and Georges Mikautadze’s penalties put Villarreal in front following Marc Pubill’s 59th-minute opener.
“We are really happy that we won 5-0, three points, this is a fantastic start for us.
Atletico Madrid Triumphs with Long-Range Strike
Atletico Madrid secured a victory against Elche, with Spain defender Pubill scoring a stunning long-range goal just before the hour mark, curling the ball into the top corner. Coach Diego Simeone faced some discontent from home supporters when he substituted in Julian Alvarez during the second half. Despite the boos, Atletico’s performance was solid, as noted by Bayern Munich’s coach Hansi Flick, who praised Elche’s style of play after they conceded five goals in the match.
