After two straight early eliminations from the Champions League, Barcelona is off to a strong start with Joo Félix doing well once more.
In his second appearance for Barcelona on Tuesday, Félix not only scored twice but also contributed an assist as the Catalan club defeated newcomer Antwerp 5-0. This victory took place in Group H.
Félix, who transferred from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona, scored the game’s opening goal in the eleventh minute and assisted Robert Lewandowski in the nineteenth. After a pass from Raphinha in the 22nd, Barcelona’s third goal was an own goal by Antwerp defender Jelle Bataille.
In the 54th minute, Gavi gave Barcelona its fourth goal, and in the 66th minute, Félix added his second with a header.
Félix stated, “I’m content and having a good time. The team has been performing admirably. The most challenging aspect, though, is continuing to play at a high level. The effort must continue.
The 23-year-old Félix and his Portugal teammate Joo Cancelo, who recently joined the Catalan club and made his comeback at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic on Tuesday, both scored in the Spanish league on Saturday.
When Félix was replaced in the 68th minute, the Barcelona supporters applauded enthusiastically. Due to renovations at the venue, the five-time European champions will not be playing at Camp Nou this year.
Joo Félix has demonstrated his talent, according to Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. “We hope he can keep doing this because he can really help us,”
Félix was replaced by Lamine Yamal, who entered the Champions League as the youngest player from Barcelona. After Dortmund striker Youssoufa Moukoko (16 years, 18 days), who made his debut in 2020, he is the second-youngest player to participate in the tournament at the age of 16 years, 68 days.
Barcelona dominated right away and made 22 attempts in total compared to Antwerp’s three.
Barcelona coach Xavi remarked, “I’m very delighted with the win and with how we played. ”
Since Lionel Messi left the Catalan club in 2021, the team has not advanced past the group stage of the Champions League. Prior to then, it has progressed through the group stage each year since 2001–2002.
This season’s Champions League campaign got off to a wonderful start for us, according to De Jong. We have a talented team, and if we keep working hard like this, we can accomplish a lot.
Barcelona began last season similarly, thrashing Viktoria Plzen 5-1 at home, but ultimately came in third in a group that saw Bayern Munich and Inter Milan advance. It placed third the year before, behind Bayern and Benfica.
Barcelona had just won four straight games in the Spanish league, including a 5-0 thrashing of Real Betis on Saturday. It has won its first six games across all competitions by a score of 18-4 over the opposition.
To get to the group stage for the first time, Antwerp defeated the Greek club AEK Athens in a playoff.
Toby Alderweireld, a defender for Antwerp, said, “This is a very young team, this was a big step for a lot of boys, and we shouldn’t tear ourselves down for this.” “We must be realistic; we didn’t come here to win the three points. The greatest pinnacle of Europe is this. We were aware that this was conceivable beforehand. We had to hope that it was just a terrible day and not the case.
Mark van Bommel, a former Barcelona player who won the Champions League with the Catalan club in 2006 alongside Xavi, is the manager of the Belgian team.
Porto will be the next stop for Barcelona, and Antwerp will welcome Shakhtar Donetsk. On Tuesday at Shakhtar, Porto triumphed 3-1.
