Champions League roundup: Raphinha shines as Barcelona thrash Feyenoord
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Raphinha responded to his Ballon d'Or shortlist snub by scoring twice as Barcelona routed Feyenoord 5-1 in the Champions League at a rain-soaked Camp Nou, while Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Slovan Bratislava 6-1 thanks to a Ferran Torres hat-trick, with both wins keeping their European campaigns on track early in the league phase. Elsewhere in the competition, Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic scored a 12-minute first-half hat-trick to beat Viking Stavanger 3-1, and Sporting Lisbon came from behind to defeat Galatasaray 3-1.
Raphinha struck in the third minute and again before the hour, taking his tally to eight goals in six games this season, with Karim Adeyemi, Lamine Yamal and Gabriel Jesus also on target before Sem Steijn replied for Feyenoord, managed by returning former Barça player Giovanni van Bronckhorst. In Paris, Ousmane Dembélé scored twice and set up Torres, whose second-half double completed his hat-trick, with Fabián Ruiz also scoring and Suleiman Camara netting a consolation for Bratislava. Demirovic's treble against Viking, who were making their first-ever league phase appearance, sandwiched a Zlatko Tripic equaliser for the Norwegian side, while Sporting fought back in Lisbon having reached the quarter-finals last season for the first time since 1983.
- Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona beat Feyenoord 5-1 despite Ballon d'Or snub
- Ferran Torres hat-trick fires PSG to 6-1 win over Slovan Bratislava
- Stuttgart's Demirovic scores hat-trick; Sporting beat Galatasaray 3-1
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Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are two of European football's biggest clubs, both competing in the Champions League, the continent's top club competition, which brings together the leading teams from various national leagues each season. The tournament recently changed format to a "league phase", in which more teams play a series of matches against different opponents before the traditional knockout rounds begin. Wins in these early league phase games help build up points and improve a team's chances of progressing.
Raphinha is a Brazilian forward who plays for Barcelona and has been in strong scoring form this season; he had recently been left off the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, an annual award recognising the world's best footballer. Also involved are Paris Saint-Germain's Ferran Torres and Ousmane Dembélé, Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic, and Sporting Lisbon and Galatasaray, sides from Portugal and Turkey respectively who are also competing in the tournament.
These matches matter because strong results early in the competition can shape how much pressure a team faces later on, and individual performances like Raphinha's can influence debates about personal awards and a player's standing in the sport.
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