Adeyemi, Gordon make instant Barcelona impact with goal, assists against Elche
Anthony Gordon made an impressive start to his Barcelona career, providing two assists in five minutes as the Spanish champions opened their La Liga title defence with a 5-0 victory over Elche.
The England international joined Barcelona from Newcastle during the summer and was introduced in the 65th minute for Lamine Yamal.
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Gordon sets up Raphinha on debut
Gordon needed only two minutes to make his mark after coming off the bench, slipping a pass through to captain Raphinha, who finished to give Barcelona their third goal of the night.
The 25-year-old was deployed on the left wing and quickly demonstrated his pace and directness against a tiring Elche defence.
Just four minutes after his first assist, Gordon created another opportunity. The former Newcastle winger raced through on goal before He cutting the ball back for Fermin Lopez to finish into an unguarded net.
The two assists represented an immediate improvement on Gordon’s output from the 2025-26 Premier League season, when he registered two assists in 26 appearances for Newcastle.
Barcelona begin title defence in style
Barcelona had already established control before Gordon’s introduction.
Raphinha opened the scoring from the penalty spot after being brought down inside the area by Victor Chust, while Karim Adeyemi doubled the advantage shortly before half-time.
Adeyemi, another summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund, marked his Barcelona debut with a composed finish after being played through by Raphinha.
Barcelona’s evening was briefly disrupted by Gavi’s injury, with Pedri replacing the midfielder before the interval.
Gordon’s introduction then added more firepower to Hansi Flick’s attack as Barcelona pulled further away from their opponents.
Lopez completed the scoring in the 79th minute to seal a convincing opening-day victory.
The result gives Barcelona an early boost in their bid to retain the La Liga title, with Gordon immediately making a strong case for a greater role in Flick’s plans. The champions’ next fixture comes against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday.