Joao Félix shines and Barça feasts against Betis

Joao Félix couldn't have had a sweeter debut as a starter for Barça. The Portuguese stood out especially in a first half in which the Blaugrana poured into the rival area with a goal and a virtual assist to Lewandowski, but that was only the prologue to a second half in which Ferran Torres erased his own ghosts with a stroke of the pen. and strangers with a goal from a direct free kick, an action long missed by Barcelona fans. Raphinha, just a breath later, made it 4-0 and Cancelo, who also made his debut as a starter and was especially in tune in both defense and attack, was in charge of finishing the game.. [5-0: Narration and statistics]

The former red and white player, of course, did a lot to make that dream debut possible.. From the beginning, he was terribly intense and committed to defensive tasks, both to make it difficult for Betis to get out and to recover the ball.. Regarding his combinations with Lewandowski to find the seams for the visitors, the first one did not have a prize, but it was already a warning for sailors. The Blaugrana, with Cancelo also stretching his domain towards the rival area, arrived very frequently in the first minutes, but they could not find really clear finishing options.. Until the former red and white, five minutes before the half hour of play was over, finally managed to open the can.

Cancelo's effort to recover the ball and a good assist from Oriol Romeu were the starting points for Joao Félix, after first getting rid of a defender who tried to intercept his first shot and then doing the same with the goalkeeper, end up sending the ball to the back of the net, almost falling and taking advantage of the little angle he had to debut his scoring account as a Barça player. The goal, of course, calmed Barça and rewarded their insistence on searching for Rui Silva's goal.. Before Barcelona's goal, their best option to open the light was a shot by Luiz Henrique, taking advantage of a mistake by Balde, which ended up missing the back line.. When they were trying harder to equalize, however, the second jug of cold water arrived. The Pole thanked the Portuguese for his action with an effusive hug on the pitch while, apparently, inviting him to continue along the same path throughout the entire duel.. The scoreboard, however, would not move again before the break.. And Joao Félix himself, in a quick counterattack and after combining with Ferran Torres, was on the verge of achieving the second of his own.. Rui Silva, who would be replaced at half-time by Fran Vieites, a debutant in First Division, due to some muscle discomfort that would end up knocking him out, managed to thwart his attempt with a remarkable save.. Something that Ter Stegen, following a Willian José very well sought after by Isco, had also previously been in charge of doing in the Barcelona area.

Barça took to the field ready to show themselves as or more incisive in attack than they had been throughout the first 45 minutes. On the green and white side, Pellegrini tried to find a stimulus precisely with the entry of a former Barcelona player: Abde. With little success. The Blaugrana, once again, had control of the game, practically monopolizing the ball. The motto seemed clear: be patient when looking for the option that would allow you to increase the distances on the scoreboard a little more.. Joao Félix, in fact, would soon manage to send the ball into the net again. The action, however, would finally be invalidated due to offside..

The Blaugrana, however, would achieve the third of their own with an action that had been on their backs since May 2021: a direct free kick. Since Leo Messi's traumatic departure from the club, no one had managed to do it. Ferran Torres, by giving the ball an almost devilish curve, was in charge of finally breaking said spell and thus prolonging the sweet moment he is experiencing on the pitch. With just under half an hour left in the duel, everything seemed to be more than decided.. So much so that Xavi took advantage of the opportunity for the large audience that gathered at Montjuïc to give him a warm ovation by replacing him with Raphinha who, in the end, would also join the party.. The Brazilian, overshadowed in the last League match by the emergence of Lamine Yamal, signed the scoring poker and Cancelo, in the evening, signed the final 5-0. A resounding victory that could give the Blaugrana even more wings.