Barcelona kept their perfect start to the season with a 5‑0 rout of bottom‑placed Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday. The Catalans opened the scoring after five minutes when Lamine Yamal slipped past the defence for a through ball from Fermin Lopez, who then doubled the lead with a precise finish from Anthony Gordon’s lay‑off. Lopez’s second strike, a low shot into the bottom left corner, made it his fourth goal of the campaign and Gordon’s fourth assist in as many matches.
The second half began with Raphinha netting his sixth goal of the season, setting up Lopez who sprinted to set up the former Leeds winger for his 50th La Liga goal. Pedri and Dani Olmo combined for a one‑two before Olmo’s cut‑back gave Yamal a third goal, his fourth of the season.
Barcelona’s dominance was complete, with the side scoring 17 goals in four games and conceding just two. Valencia, meanwhile, have earned only one point and scored once in the same span. The match also saw debuts for Harvey Elliot and Gabriel Jesus as substitutes, and Rodri’s first start since his £65m move from Manchester City.
Fans at the Mestalla staged a protest in the 19th minute, delaying entry to the stadium in reference to the club’s founding year, 1919. Barcelona now sit three points clear at the top of La Liga and will face Feyenoord in their opening Champions League group match on Wednesday. Valencia’s next game is a trip to Sevilla on Friday.
