Barcelona launch LaLiga title defence with five-star Elche demolition

Aug 23 : Barcelona began their LaLiga title defence and bid for a third successive crown with a 5-0 victory at Elche on Sunday as Raphinha and Fermin Lopez scored twice each.Captain Raphinha set the champions on their way in the 14th minute, coolly tucking a penalty just inside the right post after he was brought down in the box by Elche defender Victor Chust.Karim Adeyemi, signed from Borussia Dortmund in the close season, marked his debut with Barcelona's second in first-half stoppage time after the visitors' pressing game clicked into gear.Barca won the ball back in midfield, Lamine Yamal quickly fed Raphinha and the Brazilian slipped a clever pass through for Adeyemi, who burst in from the left, beat the offside trap and finished clinically past the goalkeeper. If Elche had hoped for m