Barcelona swept aside Valencia 6-0 in their first home game of the season, despite playing in front of just 6,000 fans at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski each scored twice in a dominant display.
The victory lifted the Catalans to second in LaLiga on 10 points, two behind leaders Real Madrid, who maintained a perfect start with four wins from four.
Forced to vacate the Camp Nou due to ongoing renovations—already nine months behind schedule and unable to use the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium after a Post Malone concert damaged the pitch, Barcelona secured a special exemption to host the match at their training ground’s 6,000-capacity stadium, well short of LaLiga’s 15,000-seat requirement.
Despite the cramped surroundings, Hansi Flick’s side showed no signs of discomfort. Lopez opened the scoring in the 29th minute from a Ferran Torres assist, but it was after the interval that Barcelona truly cut loose.
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Raphinha came off the bench to volley home Marcus Rashford’s cross in the 58th minute, before Lopez struck again three minutes later from distance. The Brazilian winger quickly added his second with a well-taken finish in the 66th minute.
Lewandowski, introduced in the 68th minute, wasted no time completing the rout, grabbing two close-range goals to seal a resounding win.
“From the outset, we demonstrated what we wanted to achieve,” Flick said afterwards. “Not only Fermin Lopez, who had a great game, but everyone worked hard and enjoyed themselves on the pitch. The team has been outstanding in every position.”
Valencia, dropped to 15th place with just four points from their opening matches.
