FC Barcelona thrashed Belgian side Antwerp 5-0 on Tuesday in the first match of Group H in the Champions League, laying the foundation to avoid a third consecutive elimination in the group stage of the most prestigious European competition.
Portuguese forward Joao Felix (11), Polish striker Robert Lewandowski (19), and an own goal by Jelle Bataille (22), deflecting a cross from Raphinha with his shoulder, quickly took the excitement out of the match at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, the home of Barça while construction work is being carried out at their usual home, Camp Nou.
In the second half, the Catalan team eased off the gas, although they still had time for Gavi to score the fourth goal (54), and Joao Felix (66), in great form, to seal the thrashing.
The reigning Belgian champions, led by former Dutch midfielder and ex-Barça player Mark Van Bommel, hardly tested German goalkeeper Marc André Ter Stegen.
With these three points, Barcelona, second in the Spanish league, tops their Champions League group, ahead of Porto, who defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, the Ukrainian team's home ground due to the war in Ukraine.
Barcelona will visit the Portuguese team in the second match on October 4, a clash between the two favorites to advance as group leaders.
But Xavi Hernández's men should not be complacent. Last year, they also started the group stage by thrashing Czech side Viktoria Pilsen 5-1, only to crash out to the Europa League as third in the group.