Barcelona vs Feyenoord Review
Feyenoord’s streak without an away win in European matches has now reached 12 games after they were heavily defeated 5-1 by Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League opener. Scoring has been no problem for Barcelona this season, as they found the net again just three minutes into the match. Playing as a makeshift striker, Raphinha continued his impressive goal-scoring run by leaving two Feyenoord defenders behind with a brilliant feint before firing the ball into the bottom corner from 12 yards out.
Shortly after, Dani Olmo nearly doubled Barcelona’s lead when he forced a save from Tjark Ernst, but the Feyenoord goalkeeper was unable to stop Karim Adeyemi from scoring Barça’s second goal midway through the first half, as Adeyemi cut in from the left and curled a perfect shot into the far corner. It seemed like Barça had secured a two-goal advantage without really pushing themselves or relying heavily on Lamine Yamal. However, Yamal nearly came alive around the 30-minute mark when he curled a left-footed shot just wide of the post—the same post that João Cancelo struck 10 minutes later.
Between those chances, Feyenoord almost pulled a goal back through Anis Hadj Moussa, who shot straight at Joan García from close range, but that was their only significant attempt in an otherwise lackluster first half. Shortly after the break, the home team quickly put the game beyond Feyenoord’s reach, with Raphinha once again finishing off a smart run behind the defense, set up by Pedri. The Brazilian calmly placed his eighth goal in five games this season into the corner.
Feyenoord nearly cut the lead back to two immediately when Nacho Ferri tapped in a loose ball inside the box, but after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed due to a marginal offside in the buildup. With a comfortable lead, Hansi Flick had the opportunity to rest some of his key players ahead of the weekend, but he chose to keep his most impactful player, Yamal, on the field. This decision paid off when Yamal scored from a 20-yard free-kick, slipping the ball through a disorganized Feyenoord defense.
Although Sem Steijn managed to score a late consolation goal for Feyenoord, Gabriel Jesus, who came on as a substitute, stole the spotlight by heading in Yamal’s cross, completing a flawless night for Barcelona. The team has now scored five goals in four of their five competitive matches this season.
