João Felix scored his debut goal in his first start for Barcelona. Coincidentally, his hometown team, Atletico Madrid, lost.
Barcelona defeated Real Betis 5-0 in the fifth round of the 2023-24 Spanish La Liga at the Olympic Luis Companís in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday at 4 a.m. ET. With the win, Barcelona remains unbeaten (4 wins, 1 draw) in its opening five matches and sits atop the table with 13 points.
On the day, Barcelona deployed a 4-3-3 formation. Felix, Lewandowski, and Torres lined up up front, with De Jong, Romero, and Gabi forming the midfield. The back four was a combination of Valde, Christensen, Kunde, and Kancelu, with Thierry Henry in goal. Betis countered with the likes of Jose, Isco, Pérez, Roca and Bartra.
Felix started for the first time since joining Barcelona. It was a somewhat predictable start. With Guindoan and Pedri out of form, it was expected that Felix would start on the left flank. He joined Barcelona on loan from Atletico this summer and made his first appearance for the club as a substitute against Osasuna before the September A-match break.
And it was a positive performance. Barcelona took the lead in the 25th minute. And it was Felix who did it. After receiving a roving pass from Romero inside the penalty box, Felix’s initial shot was blocked by a defender, but he managed to control the ball and rattle the post with a second shot from no angle.온라인바카라
After taking the lead, Barcelona extended their lead with back-to-back goals from Lewandowski in the 32nd minute and Torres in the 17th minute. After the third goal, Barcelona dropped Felix, Torres, and Romero in favor of Hafinha, Amal, and Guindoan. Barcelona went on to win 5-0, with goals from Hapinha and Kancelu.
Felix was the star of the show, scoring his debut goal. Felix joined Atletico from Benfica in the summer of 2019. At the time, Atletico were looking for a replacement for Antoine Griezmann, so they snapped up Felix, who had been performing well in Portugal, for €127 million.
Up until the 2021-22 season, he wasn’t doing too badly. He was getting consistent playing time. However, the first half of last season was a different story. Felix made 12 La Liga appearances before the World Cup break, but only five starts. His inclusion and exclusion led to rumors of a rift with manager Diego Simeone.
As a result, he was sent out on loan to Chelsea in the January transfer window. In the second half of the season, Felix scored four goals in 16 Premier League (PL) appearances, adding strength to Chelsea’s attack. However, Chelsea finished the season in 12th place in the league. As the club prepared for the season under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, Felix’s loan deal came to an end.
Felix is contracted to Atletico until the summer of 2027. However, the mood since his return has been one of parting ways. Felix had to give up his number 7 shirt to Griezmann. He was already being labeled as a non-player.
In mid-July, he said, “Barcelona has always been my first choice. I want to join Barcelona, it’s been a dream since childhood and if it comes true, it will literally be a dream come true.” Atletico were furious. The two sides fell out, and in the end, Felix got his wish and joined Barcelona on loan.
Felix, who will play for Barcelona until the end of the season, got off to a flying start, scoring his debut goal after just two games. Meanwhile, his hometown team Atletico suffered a disappointing defeat on the same day. After opening the season with two wins and a draw in their first three games, Atletico fell to a 0-3 defeat against Valencia.