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Anthony Gordon makes instant Barcelona impact in 5-0 win at Elche
The former Newcastle winger supplied two assists within four minutes of his competitive Barcelona debut as the champions opened their La Liga campaign with a 5-0 victory.
By Eleanor Ellington · 4 min read
Anthony Gordon needed only a few minutes to show why Barcelona wanted another direct, high-speed option in their attack. Introduced in the 65th minute of Sunday’s game at Elche, the England winger supplied two assists within four minutes as the Spanish champions turned an already comfortable lead into a 5-0 statement at the Martínez Valero.
For Barcelona, the match was their first La Liga fixture of the 2026/27 season even though it appeared on the calendar as matchday two. Hansi Flick’s side had started the night without a conventional centre-forward reference, using Raphinha in central spaces and relying on movement around him. By the final whistle, that flexible approach had produced five goals from four different attacking contributions.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the 14th minute. He was brought down by Víctor Chust after moving into the penalty area, then took the spot kick himself and converted. The Brazilian’s ability to drift inside gave Elche a recurring problem: the hosts had to decide whether to follow him into central areas or hold their defensive line and risk leaving space for the wide players.
Karim Adeyemi provided the second goal in first-half stoppage time. The German winger, making his competitive Barcelona debut, started on the left and finished a move involving Marc Bernal, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. It was his only shot of the match and he converted it, leaving Barcelona 2-0 up at the break.
The decisive change came after 65 minutes. Gordon replaced Lamine Yamal and immediately attacked the spaces that had begun to open as Elche chased the game. His first assist was for Raphinha, who made it 3-0. Two minutes later Gordon drove into a one-on-one position with goalkeeper Matías Dituro but chose not to chase a debut goal. He squared the ball for Fermín López instead, giving the midfielder a simple finish for the fourth.
Barcelona said Gordon became the first player in 15 years to provide two assists so quickly on his debut for the club. The number is striking, but the more revealing detail was the decision behind the second assist. A new signing entering a one-sided game could easily have taken the shot himself. Gordon chose the higher-percentage option and created a goal for a team-mate.
That blend of pace and decision-making is particularly relevant for a Barcelona side trying to build a different attacking rhythm. Gordon arrived from Newcastle with a reputation for carrying the ball at speed and stretching defensive lines. Against Elche he did not need a long adaptation period to reproduce those qualities in competitive action. His own assessment afterwards was concise: “It’s the perfect start to the league season.”
Fermín added the fifth later in the second half, turning away from Federico Redondo before finishing past Dituro. Raphinha and Fermín therefore ended the night with two goals each, Adeyemi scored on debut and Gordon created two more from the bench. Barcelona’s attacking depth, not just the starting XI, became the main story of the evening.
There was one concern when Gavi left after taking a knock to his right knee. Tests the following day showed only a bruise, and the club said he should return to training shortly. That update removed much of the anxiety from what had otherwise been a near-perfect league opener.
Barcelona’s next league assignment is at home to Athletic Club on 27 August. That game should offer a sterner measure of how the new attacking pieces fit together. Gordon’s first competitive appearance has already established one thing, however: he can change a match quickly without needing to dominate the ball, and in a squad loaded with technical players, that directness gives Flick another way to accelerate games when space begins to appear.
