Barcelona picked up where they left off last season against Valencia, securing another dominant victory in their first home game at the six-thousand-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium. Braces from young Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and veteran striker Robert Lewandowski provided a significant morale boost ahead of their first Champions League match away at Newcastle on Thursday.

The Catalan giants took the field on Sunday night trailing table-toppers Real Madrid by five points after their Saturday night victory over Real Sociedad. However, they eased past the visitors with a dominant 6-0 victory.

Despite the pressure and a list of key injuries—including to Lamine Yamal, Frenkie De Jong, Gavi, and Alejandro Balde—coach Hansi Flick rested regular starters like Raphinha and Lewandowski, giving opportunities to Roony Bardghji, Marcus Rashford, and Ferran Torres, who led the attack. Yet they eased past the opposition with a commanding performance.

Barcelona's relentless pressure left Valencia’s defense in disarray from the start. They created their first major chance in the 10th minute when Ferran Torres narrowly chipped the ball over the crossbar. Five minutes later, Valencia's goalkeeper denied a shot from Lopez.

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The breakthrough came in the 29th minute as Fermin opened the scoring with a clinical finish inside the box. Torres set him up perfectly with a first-time touch on a teammate’s cross, and the Spanish midfielder slotted past the keeper with a precise right-footed strike.

That was the only goal of the first half, but it set the stage for a second-half onslaught. Barcelona found more rhythm in their attack with the halftime substitution of Raphinha. Replacing Roony on the right flank, the Brazilian's presence was immediately felt, as he netted the team’s second goal just eight minutes into the restart. Three minutes later, Fermin scored his second with a spectacular shot from outside the box.

Three minutes later, Fermin came from nowhere and converted a spectacular bullet shot from outside the box, to be exact 26.9 meter from the post. Raphinha completed his brace in the 66th minute, when a teammate’s cross deflected off a Valencia defender’s hand in the box, and he rifled a powerful half-volley into the net.

After missing dozens of chances, Ferran Torres’ time came to an end in the 68th minute, when Lewandowski made his 150th appearance for the Blaugrana. The Polish star’s experience quickly paid off; eight minutes later, he received a pass from fellow substitute Dani Olmo, controlled it, and fired a shot that rattled in under the crossbar. With four minutes remaining, Lewandowski scored his second goal with a routine finish, assisted by Marc Bernal, who had just entered the match after a long injury absence.

Barcelona dominated every sector of the game, holding 72 percent possession and managing 24 shots—10 of which were on target. Valencia, in contrast, could only muster two attempts on goal, with just one on target.

With 10 points from four games, Barcelona now sits second in the table, two points behind their eternal rival Real Madrid, who have had a perfect start to the season.