Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to captain Barcelona as the Spanish champions opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Feyenoord at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Yamal was 19 years and 58 days old when he received the captain’s armband from Raphinha after the Brazilian was substituted in the 71st minute. The milestone saw the Spanish forward surpass Bojan Krkic, who had previously been Barcelona’s youngest captain after leading the side in a Copa del Rey match in 2010 at the age of 20. Yamal then marked the historic occasion in style by getting on the scoresheet six minutes later.
Raphinha sets the tone
Barcelona needed only three minutes to take control as Raphinha opened the scoring, creating space inside the penalty area before finding the bottom corner. The hosts doubled their advantage in the 22nd minute through Karim Adeyemi, who cut inside from the left and curled an impressive finish beyond the Feyenoord goalkeeper.
Feyenoord struggled to threaten Barcelona consistently before the break, while the hosts continued to create opportunities. Yamal sent a curling attempt narrowly wide and Joao Cancelo struck the woodwork as Hansi Flick’s side looked to extend their advantage.
Barcelona maintained the pressure after the interval and Raphinha struck again in the 57th minute after being released by Pedri. The Brazilian calmly converted to make it 3-0 and take his tally to eight goals in five matches this season.
Yamal celebrates captaincy with goal
Feyenoord briefly thought they had reduced the deficit through Nacho Ferri, but the effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review. Raphinha was subsequently withdrawn and handed the armband to Yamal, creating another landmark moment in the teenager’s remarkable Barcelona career.
Yamal soon added Barcelona’s fourth with a 20-yard free-kick that found its way through the Feyenoord wall. Sem Steijn pulled one back for the visitors in the 82nd minute, but there was still time for Barcelona to restore their four-goal advantage. Substitute Gabriel Jesus headed home Yamal’s delivery in the 85th minute to register his first goal for the Catalan club and complete the 5-1 rout.
The victory gave Barcelona an imposing start to their Champions League campaign and continued their prolific opening to the season, with Flick’s side having scored five goals in four of their first five competitive matches. Feyenoord, meanwhile, saw their winless run away from home in European competition extend to 12 matches.