'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Barcelona made mincemeat of Real Betis in a 5-0 drubbing in La Liga on Saturday (September 16).
Summer signing Joao Felix opened the floodgates in the 25th minute by steering home a cross from Oriol Romeu from a tight angle. It was his first goal for the club on his first start.
Shortly after, Robert Lewandowski doubled their advantage with a cool finish beyond Rui Silva after Felix had sent him through with a wonderful dummy.
Ferran Torres made it 3-0 after 62 minutes from a spectacular free-kick. Raphinha joined the party four minutes later, making an arrowed finish into the bottom-corner from outside the box.
Trending
In the final 10 minutes, there was more misery for Real Betis, as Joao Cancelo put the final nail in their coffin with a delightful strike for his maiden Barca goal.
A fourth straight league win - straight after the international break - moved the Blaugrana provisionally to the top of the table with 13 points from five games. Betis, meanwhile, are down in ninth place with only seven points.
On that note, here are the five talking points from the game:
#1 Barcelona's former Premier League stars enjoy goal-crazy evening
Barcelona have many players in their squad who have experience playing in the Premier League, often touted as the best league in the world. Some of them enjoyed a productive evening on Saturday.
Joao Felix, who endured a torrid loan spell with Chelsea last season, recaptured his old form and delivered a masterclass. He got the Blaugrana underway with a well-taken goal in the 25th minute.
In the second half, Ferran Torres, a former Manchester City star, continued his blistering run of form with a goal, his third of the campaign, in his first La Liga start of the season.
Four minutes later, ex-Leeds United ace Raphinha joined the party with a lovely goal of his own. another former City player, Joao Cancelo, capped off the rout with a late goal.
Clearly, Premier League's loss has been La Liga's gain.
#4 Joao Felix puts Chelsea nightmare behind to return to his best
Barcelona appeared to take a huge gamble with the signing of Joao Felix, who hadn't been at his best recently and was coming off a torrid loan spell at Chelsea.
However, in his first La Liga start with the club, the Portuguese star looked to be at his menacing best. An irresistible ball of energy, the twinkle-toed Felix displayed his amazing on-the-ball tricks and ran the Betis defence ragged with his movements.
He pulled off a terrific dummy for Robert Lewandowski's strike and opened the floodgates for Barcelona. Suffice to say, Felix is back.
#3 Real Betis' woes away from home continue
In three away games in La Liga this season, Real Betis have lost twice, and conceded in all of them. Los Verdiblancos began their campaign on the road to Villarreal with a 2-1 win.
Against Athletic Bilbao, though, Betis were dealt a 4-2 loss, and have now, suffered an even bigger defeat to Barcelona. That's 10 goals conceded in three away games this season, something manager Manuel Pellegrini should be concerned about.
#2 Joao Cancelo shines on first Barcelona start
Another Joao who had a great outing for the Blaugrana on Saturday was Cancelo, who also made his first start for the club and impressed.
Signed from Manchester City, the right-back couldn't find his best at Bayern Munich during his loan spell last term but seem to be enjoying life with the Blaugrana.
The Portuguese was at the top of his game, giving Betis a torrid time with his buccaneering runs from the flanks and ball-winning ability, winning 11 of 17 ground duels.
He made four tackles, one of which led to Barcelona's opening goal, and capped off his night with a terrific goal. The feint in the build-up, though, takes the cake.
#1 Barcelona are here to stay
Head coach Xavi lifted Barcelona out of the lurch and guided them to the La Liga title last season, their first since 2019. It could've been a one-off, with the Blaugrana falling off this season, but early signs suggest that the champions aren't going to concede their crown so easily.
Having started their campaign with a dour goalless draw at Getafe, Barcelona have recaptured their mojo and put on their finest performance on Friday night. It eclipsed their incredible comeback 4-3 win over Villarreal a few weeks ago.
Their new signings have impressed, while the young guns continue to scale new heights. It's all going seamless for Xavi and co., who're expected to secure another big win to minnows Antwerp in their UEFA Champions League opener on Tuesday.
