Gabriel Jesus marked his first UEFA Champions League appearance for Barcelona with a goal as the Catalan giants opened their league-phase campaign with a commanding 5-1 victory over Feyenoord at the Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Barcelona produced an emphatic attacking display, with Raphinha leading the charge with a brace, while Karim Adeyemi and Lamine Yamal also found the net before Jesus completed the rout late on.
Raphinha opened the scoring before Adeyemi doubled Barcelona’s advantage, giving Hansi Flick’s side a comfortable lead at half-time.
The hosts continued their dominance after the restart, with Raphinha adding his second before Yamal made it 4-0.
Feyenoord managed to pull one goal back through Sem Steijn, but their hopes of a comeback were short-lived as Jesus restored Barcelona’s four-goal advantage in the closing stages.
For Jesus, the goal provided a memorable start to his Champions League journey with Barcelona. The Brazilian forward had previously made his competition debut with Manchester City against Feyenoord in 2017, making Wednesday’s fixture a particularly notable return to the Dutch club.
Barcelona’s victory also underlined their strong record in the competition. UEFA noted before the match that the five-time European champions had won nine of their previous 11 home league-phase matches, while they had scored 50 goals across the first two editions of the Champions League league phase.
The emphatic win gives Flick’s side an ideal start to their European campaign and further strengthens expectations surrounding Barcelona’s challenge for continental honours this season.
For Feyenoord, the heavy defeat represents a difficult opening to their Champions League campaign, with the Dutch side unable to contain Barcelona’s attacking quality for long periods.
Jesus’ late strike, meanwhile, ensured the night ended on a personal high for the former Manchester City and Arsenal forward as he began his Barcelona Champions League career with a goal.
