Raphinha scored two goals in Barcelona’s 5-1 victory against Feyenoord in the Champions League, following his exclusion from the Ballon d’Or nominees list.
Raphinha’s Impact on the Match
Despite the surprise of not being nominated, the Brazilian quickly set aside his disappointment to continue his excellent start to the season at Camp Nou, even in the rain. He opened the scoring in the third minute and added a second goal just before the hour mark, bringing his total to eight goals in six matches since the competition began.
Contributions from Teammates
New striker Karim Adeyemi also scored a superb goal, while Lamine Yamal netted from a clever free kick, and Gabriel Jesus found the net just two minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst, returning to Barcelona, had little to celebrate, but Sem Steijn provided a moment of joy for the visiting supporters by reducing the deficit at the end of the match.
“The most important thing is that we play as a team, as one unit,” said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick. “We controlled the game, we were dominant, and it’s fantastic to see. This is our style, and this is how we want to play.”
PSG’s Dominance in Another Match
Meanwhile, Ferran Torres completed a hat-trick and Ousmane Dembélé also shone as Paris Saint-Germain began their quest for a third consecutive Champions League title with a crushing 6-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava at Parc des Princes.
Dembélé, last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, scored twice before halftime in the French capital, then assisted Torres, the hero of the World Cup final, to make it 3-0 before the break.
Torres, who joined the club this summer from Barcelona, added two more goals shortly after the restart to complete his hat-trick before the hour mark. Suleiman Camara reduced the deficit for the Slovak champions, and Fabián Ruiz later sealed PSG’s victory.
Stuttgart’s Ermedin Demirovic Shines
In another match, Stuttgart’s Ermedin Demirovic scored a hat-trick in twelve minutes during the first half, leading his team to a 3-1 victory over Viking Stavanger.
He opened the scoring after 20 minutes with a header at the near post, but Viking, making their debut in the Champions League group stage, equalized two minutes later through Zlatko Tripic, who finished a quick counterattack.
Demirovic quickly restored his team’s lead in the 26th minute and completed his hat-trick with a volley six minutes later.
“For me, it was a perfect start, and also for the team as a whole,” Demirovic told Dazn.
Sporting’s Victory Over Galatasaray
Finally, Sporting, last season’s quarter-finalist for the first time since 1983, managed to defeat Galatasaray 3-1 in Lisbon.
Galatasaray took the lead early with an own goal from Gonçalo Inacio, but Geny Catamo punished lax defending to equalize in the 27th minute. Luis Suárez converted a penalty in the 57th minute to give Sporting the lead, and a powerful free kick from Rodrigo Zalazar six minutes later sealed the victory.