Gordon's two assists in four minutes light up Barcelona debut in 5-0 Elche rout

Anthony Gordon marked his Barcelona debut with two assists in four minutes as the Spanish champions demolished Elche 5-0 in their La Liga opener on Sunday, with the England winger declaring it a ‘dream start’ to life at Camp Nou.

Gordon, 25, joined Barcelona from Newcastle in June for £70 million after three-and-a-half seasons at St James’ Park. He started on the bench as Hansi Flick’s side travelled to Elche, watching Raphinha open the scoring after 14 minutes before summer signing Karim Adeyemi doubled the lead just before half-time.

The former Newcastle winger entered the game shortly after the hour mark and needed only two minutes to make his mark, teeing up Raphinha for his second of the night. Four minutes later, Gordon burst clear but unselfishly squared for Fermin Lopez, who converted easily. Lopez added a fifth in the closing stages to complete a brace.

“Of course it was a dream debut,” Gordon said afterwards. “I think you always want to win. It’s always about the team first, especially with this club. Big congratulations to Karim because he performed a great performance — he got his first goal and worked really hard in defensive transition. Really happy for him.”

Gordon also spoke warmly about his early impressions of the club and city. “I feel so good since I’ve arrived. The guys have made me feel so welcome. I feel at home already. The city is amazing, the people are so friendly, and I think I’ll get better and better the longer I’m here.”

Reflecting on the result itself, he added: “It was a top performance and the perfect start — five goals scored and none conceded. We played some lovely football, scored great goals and, more importantly, the defenders made some excellent last-minute challenges and blocks.”

Head coach Hansi Flick, who has won La Liga in each of his two seasons in charge, was equally satisfied. “We’re delighted with the fantastic start we’ve made; it gives us confidence,” the German said. “I was concerned about turnovers. We had to control the ball, and in the end a clean sheet is fantastic and five goals is great.”

Barcelona’s next fixture is at home to Athletic Bilbao on Thursday, when Gordon will have the opportunity to make his first competitive appearance at Camp Nou.