Anthony Gordon celebrated his Barcelona debut by providing two assists in five minutes as the defending champions triumphed over Elche 5-0 in their La Liga opener.
The England winger, who moved to Barcelona from Newcastle in the summer, was substituted in for Lamine Yamal in the 65th minute and recorded his first assist by setting up captain Raphinha just two minutes after entering the pitch.
The 25-year-old, playing on the left flank, then set up a second goal just four minutes later after sprinting toward the net and laying the ball off to Fermin Lopez, who scored into an open goal to make it 4-0.
Gordon recorded only two assists for Newcastle in 26 matches in the 2025-26 Premier League season but was their leading scorer with 17 goals in all competitions.
The win signified that Hansi Flick’s team launched their title defense with a win, following their competitors Real Madrid, who also had a victorious start at Espanyol on Saturday.
Barcelona took the lead within 14 minutes when Raphinha was fouled in the box by Victor Chust, and the Brazilian winger successfully converted the penalty past Elche’s goalkeeper Matias Dituro.
Elche challenged the Barcelona defense at times in the first half but couldn’t score an equalizer and went behind further when Karim Adeyemi increased the lead just before halftime.
The German winger, also debuting after joining from Borussia Dortmund, was set up by Raphinha and finished confidently past Dituro for his initial goal in the Blaugrana kit.
The goal, however, occurred just minutes after they lost midfielder Gavi due to an injury, with Pedri stepping in to take his place.
Yamal, who squandered an early opportunity, was substituted for Gordon in the second half, and the England international assisted Barca’s third and fourth goals before Lopez secured the victory in the 79th minute.
Barcelona will be back in action facing Athletic Bilbao on Thursday, August 27 (20:00 BST).
