In a thrashing of Chelsea in the Champions League, Joao Felix shows what the Blues have been missing
New forward Joao Felix helped Barcelona to a 5-0 victory at home against Group H opponent Royal Antwerp on Tuesday at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
After being eliminated in the group stage twice in a row, Barca showed debutants Antwerp how it’s done by dominating possession and scoring three goals (one each from Felix, Robert Lewandowski, and Gavi).
In the 11th minute, Felix, a former Chelsea loanee, scored the opening goal for the home side with a low shot that went in off the near post.
Eight minutes later, the Portuguese assisted Lewandowski’s goal inside the box, doubling Poland’s advantage and becoming the Poland striker the third player in European competition history to record 100 goals, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
when 22 minutes, Raphinha’s shot from a difficult angle resulted in a 3-0 lead for the five-time European champions when defender Jelle Bataille scored an own goal.Just before halftime, the visitors’ winger Arbnor Muja had a chance to give them some hope, but goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved his low shot from the edge of the area.
After the break, Xavi and Barca came out stronger than ever in their record-tying 28th Champions League group stage campaign.
Not long after that, Gavi made it 4-0 with a screamer into the top corner, and Felix finished the rout with a header in Barca’s makeshift stadium while the Camp Nou is renovated.
The 22 shots by Barca compared to the 3 by Antwerp, who were playing in the Champions League after winning their domestic league for the first time in more than 60 years last season, were indicative of the Catalan team’s domination.
This is their fifth consecutive season playing on the European stage, and their second in Europe’s top club competition after competing in the European Cup in the 1957–58 season.
In the other matchup in Group H, Porto defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 in Hamburg.