Video: 'an unforgettable Catalan night': Alaves alone pays the price for Barcelona's revenge!
A harsh result for Alavés
Barcelona rediscovered their winning touch in the best possible way. They hammered six past Deportivo Alavés (6-1) on Saturday evening at the Camp Nou in the eleventh round of the Spanish league, turning the page on a difficult week that saw them beaten by Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
The Catalan side went into the encounter looking to restore their balance after losing 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, then 2-1 to rivals Real Madrid in the league. Hansi Flick's men delivered a powerful attacking display and never let Alavés find a foothold.
Absences forced Flick to reshuffle his defence. With Eric García, Andreas Christensen and Xavi Espart all missing, he pushed Frenkie de Jong into the heart of the back line and handed Bryan Fariñas the right-wing role. The changes barely registered. Barcelona took control from the opening minutes.
Brazilian Raphinha opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Pedri threaded a well-placed through ball to Fermín López on the left, and the midfielder advanced before delivering a cross that Raphinha met first time into the net.
Fifteen minutes later, the pair swapped roles. Raphinha turned playmaker and teed up Fermín, who unleashed a powerful strike from a tight angle that nestled into the Alavés goal in the 23rd minute for Barcelona's second.
Alavés held firm for a spell against the pressure. Then Raphinha struck again, grabbing his personal second and his team's third in the 41st minute, converting a well-placed cross from the irrepressible Fermín López.
A first-half treble was not enough. Lamine Yamal added the fourth in the second minute of stoppage time, lashing a powerful left-footed strike from the edge of the box to send the hosts in with a comfortable lead.
Flick introduced Bernal for Pedri after the break, but Barcelona's attacking intent never wavered. They kept threatening, and Karim Adeyemi wasted a chance to extend the lead in the 54th minute after a fine pass from Fermín López.
The fifth arrived in the 65th minute. Gabriel Jesus slipped a well-placed pass to Lamine Yamal, who raced clear and dinked a superb finish over the Alavés goalkeeper for his second of the match. By then he had a hand in three goals.
Late on, Flick swapped Yamal for Anthony Gordon, who made it six in the 86th minute. Mariano Díaz had grabbed Alavés' only goal in the 84th, narrowing the gap without changing the outcome.
