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Rookie striker Joao Felix continued his explosive scoring form with a brace, helping Barcelona easily crush rookie visitors Royal Antwerp 5-0 in the opening match of Champions League Group H. Meanwhile, Wenderson Galeno also scored a brace to help Porto easily win 3-1 against "home team" Shakhtar Donetsk.
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| Barcelona easily crushed newcomer Royal Antwerp 5-0 in the opening match of the Champions League. |
Joao Felix scored on his La Liga debut on Saturday as Barca thrashed Real Betis 5-0 at home. The 23-year-old, along with fellow new signing Joao Cancelo, was handed another start on Tuesday, and the on-loan Atletico Madrid star shone. Felix opened the scoring in the 11th minute after an assist from Ilkay Gundogan, and just eight minutes later the Portugal international set up Robert Lewandowski to extend the lead. Felix completed his brace with a header in the 66th minute - also sealing a 5-0 win for Barca. “I’m happy, I’m in a good mood!” Felix said. “The team continued to play very well today. But the hardest part is to continue playing at a high level. We have to keep working hard.”
Felix received a standing ovation from the Barca fans when he was substituted in the 68th minute. Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong assessed the impact of his transfer deadline day signing: “Joao Felix has a lot of quality and he is showing it. We hope that Joao can continue like this because he can definitely help us a lot.”
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New striker Joao Felix continued his explosive scoring form with a brace and an assist. |
Barca's third goal came from an own goal by defender Jelle Bataille after a pass from Raphinha in the 22nd minute. Gavi scored Barcelona's fourth goal in the 54th minute. Barca closed the match after a dominant performance from start to finish, with a total of 22 attempts on goal compared to just three for Antwerp. Coach Xavi commented: "I am very satisfied with the result and the way we played today." This resounding victory helped Barca achieve a performance of 18 goals scored and only conceded 4 times in the first 6 unbeaten matches in all competitions of the new season (won 5).
Barca are determined to progress from the Champions League group stage after two successive early exits. The Catalans have not reached the knockout stages of the Champions League since Lionel Messi left in 2021 - they have progressed every year since 2001-02. But Barca are well aware that this excellent start is no guarantee unless they maintain their focus and determination. Last season, Barca started with a 5-1 home win over Viktoria Plzen, but finished third in a group that included Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. Midfielder De Jong said: "It's a good start for us in the Champions League this season. We have a very talented squad and if we continue to work like this, we can achieve a lot."
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Porto easily defeated "home team" Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1. |
Elsewhere in Group H, Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk got off to a disappointing start at their temporary home ground in Germany, with striker Wenderson Galeno shining with two goals and also assisting the third to help Porto ease to a 3-1 win.
Shakhtar were welcomed by a crowd of over 46,700 at the Volksparkstadion for their first home game in Germany. UEFA had ruled that Shakhtar could not play European home games in Ukraine due to the ongoing armed conflict with Russia. But despite the huge support for Shakhtar, it took Porto less than eight minutes to open the scoring when goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk made a mistake and Galeno scored.
19-year-old Venezuelan striker Kevin Kelsy headed home an equaliser on his Champions League debut in the 13th minute. However, the inexperience of a squad that included five players aged 22 or under meant that Shakhtar were quickly outplayed by Porto. Galeno scored his second in the 15th minute, before crossing for Mehdi Taremi to make it 3-1 in the 29th. Porto slowed down in the second half, but Shakhtar could not regain control.
In the next match on October 4, Porto welcome Barcelona while Shakhtar visit Royal Antwerp.
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