Raphinha scores inside three minutes, FC Barcelona keep 72% of the ball, and Feyenoord get four shots all night.
The numbers
| FC Barcelona | Feyenoord | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 72% | 28% |
| Shots | 24 | 4 |
| On target | 9 | 2 |
| xG | 2.1 | 0.53 |
| Corners | 4 | 1 |
| Touches in opp. box | 46 | 11 |
Result the chances deserved: FC Barcelona 74% / 18% / Feyenoord 8% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Joan García, Koundé, Cubarsí, Christensen, Cancelo, Rodri, Olmo, Pedri, Yamal, Raphinha, Adeyemi.
Feyenoord (4-2-3-1): Ernst, Givairo Read, St. Juste, Watanabe, Mármol, Zechiël, Vanhoutte, Hadj Moussa, Valente, Javi López, Ferri.
Feyenoord subs: Targhalline (45', Javi López), Shaqueel van Persie (63', Ferri), Borges & Steijn (71', Hadj Moussa & Vanhoutte), Van den Elshout (83', Valente). Feyenoord head coach: Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Goal minutes, assists, xG and box touches: FotMob (other outlets give the minutes a few minutes either way). Sub minutes: VAVEL. Shots on target and corners: opstellingvandaag.nl. Feyenoord's shape: FotMob lists 4-2-3-1, VAVEL 4-3-3.
Key moments, move by move
- Yamal finds Raphinha just inside the box. FR12 says the chance started with Watanabe losing control of the ball.
- Two defenders (Vanhoutte and St. Juste, per NOS) slide in on a wet pitch. One feint takes Raphinha past both.
- He finishes low inside Ernst's right-hand post.
- Cancelo, on his first start of the season, feeds Adeyemi on the left.
- Adeyemi cuts inside off the touchline onto his right foot.
- From the left edge of the box he curls it into the far top corner.
- Pedri gets the ball facing goal about 30 metres out.
- He threads a pass between St. Juste and Watanabe, timed so Raphinha never has to break stride.
- Raphinha finishes past Ernst. FR12 says he went round the keeper; other reports describe a finish across him.
- A free kick on the right, just outside the box.
- Yamal aims at a gap in the Feyenoord wall.
- The ball goes through the wall and into the bottom corner.
- Substitute Borges gets down the right for Feyenoord.
- He plays a low cross towards the back post.
- Steijn has got away from Koundé and finishes from close range.
- Yamal gets the ball wide on the right.
- He crosses into the six-yard area.
- Gabriel Jesus glances a header past Ernst for his first goal for FC Barcelona.
Move them side to side, then run behind
- Circulation first. FC Barcelona attempted 799 passes and completed 94% (The Football Xtra), moving Feyenoord from side to side until gaps opened between their defence and midfield. They had 72% of the ball, 24 shots and 46 touches in the Feyenoord box to 11 (FotMob).
- Win it back quickly. Adeyemi led the press from the left while Rodri and Pedri controlled midfield (The Football Xtra). NOS says Feyenoord kept losing the ball in the first 15 minutes, and the opener came in the third.
- Raphinha as the runner in the middle. Flick: "Raphinha plays with great intensity and attacks the space behind the defence." Both his goals came from running at or behind the centre-backs, first from Yamal's pass, then from Pedri's. The animation shows the second.
- Feyenoord: Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side got four shots, two on target. They had a Ferri goal ruled out for offside, a penalty shout for Hadj Moussa that wasn't given (FR12), and a late goal from a low cross to the back post.
Recreate it in FM26
FC Barcelona · Flick's 4-3-3: circulate, press, run behind · 4-3-3Show cardHide card
Flick's 4-3-3: circulate, press, run behind
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Joan García | Sweeper Keeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Koundé | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Cubarsí | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LCB | Christensen | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Centre-Back |
| LB | Cancelo | Full-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| DM | Rodri | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| RCM | Olmo | Central Midfielder | Pressing Central Midfielder |
| LCM | Pedri | Midfield Playmaker | Central Midfielder |
| RW | Yamal | Inside Winger | Inside Outlet Winger |
| LW | Adeyemi | Inside Forward | Winger |
| ST | Raphinha | Channel Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Build-Up StrategyPlay Through Press
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- Attacking TransitionPatient Build-Up
- Attacking WidthWider
- PatienceWork Ball Into Box
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Defensive LineMuch Higher
- Defensive Line BehaviourOffside Trap
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
- Trigger PressMore Often
The idea: Short passing moves the block side to side until a gap opens, then a Channel Forward runs behind it. You need a Deep-Lying Playmaker who can receive under pressure, centre-backs comfortable 40 metres from goal, and a striker with pace and Off the Ball.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce the wet pitch that sent two Feyenoord defenders sliding past Raphinha for the opener.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 4-2-3-1, Fermín on at 55' not 71' (for Olmo), Gabriel Jesus on at 70' (for Raphinha). Olmo closer to goal, Fermín on earlier and Raphinha rested before the league game. It is fine-tuning: the result was never in doubt, and the aim is spreading the load and giving Feyenoord fewer late looks. It moves FC Barcelona's win chance from 74% to 76% (xG 2.10–0.53 becomes 2.30–0.58). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer FC Barcelona needed
Fermín López
FC Barcelona dominated the ball, but the right-sided midfield spot added little: Olmo had a quiet night. Fermín plays that position by running beyond the striker, which is what hurt Feyenoord's back line all night. With Raphinha dragging the centre-backs, an extra runner from midfield turns the pressure into more chances inside the box.
Martin Ødegaard
The right-sided midfield role was the one part of FC Barcelona's control that didn't produce much. Ødegaard receives between the lines on the right half-space, combines with a winger on the outside and presses from the front, so he would have fed Yamal and Raphinha from exactly the zone Olmo didn't use.
What the analysts said
“Rapha is playing fantastically, on another level. It's incredible. He's one of the best in the world.”Hansi Flick (Yahoo Sports)
“Dani Olmo is good at controlling the ball and dictating play. Raphinha plays with great intensity and attacks the space behind the defence.”Hansi Flick (Barca Universal / Yahoo Sports)
“I like what I see, but I also see areas where we need to improve.”Hansi Flick (Barca Universal / Yahoo Sports)
“The truth is that a season has its ups and downs, and starting this season like this gives us a lot of confidence.”Raphinha (Vive USA)
The control was real. The finishing was hot.
What's happening. Barcelona beat Feyenoord 5–1 with 72% of the ball and 24 shots to four. Raphinha scored inside three minutes and again later; two of the five goals came from outside the box, including Yamal's free kick.
How it works. Raphinha's two goals were the same idea from two passers: Yamal, then Pedri, found him running at the centre-backs. Flick's 4-3-3 moves the ball side to side until a gap opens, then a striker runs behind it. Feyenoord's few moments came from the space a high line and advanced full-backs leave, including their goal at the back post.
What the shots say. There is no public shot-level xG for this game, so we built it from the play-by-play with our own model. Barcelona's chances were worth about two goals; they scored five. They win about three replays in four. On another night this is 3–0 and nobody remembers it.