Barcelona got the Luis Enrique era off to a winning start this evening courtesy of a comfortable 3-0 victory over Elche, despite having to play the majority of the match with 10 men.
The hosts came within inches of taking the lead midway through the first half when Munir El Haddadi, making his first-team debut for the club, fired an effort against the woodwork.
They struck the same crossbar again just 10 minutes later, this time Andres Iniesta beating the keeper but not the woodwork with a powerful strike from outside the box.
Barcelona began to pile the pressure on their visitors and came close once more just a minute later as Dani Alves ghosted into the box, only to put his half-volley wide.
The opening goal did finally come with just three minutes of the first half remaining as Lionel Messi turned his man before driving into the box and slotting an effort into the bottom corner.
Their task became harder just one minute later, however, as Javier Mascherano picked up a straight red card for a trip on Garry Rodrigues, who was through on goal.
That did not seem to deter Enrique's side, however, as they doubled their advantage just one minute after the restart when two debutants combined. Ivan Rakitic played a through-ball to Munir, who flicked a lovely effort into the far corner.
It was 3-0 shortly after the hour mark as Messi netted his second of the game, picking up a loose ball in the area before working space to coolly slide his effort into the bottom corner.
The hosts had a good chance to make it 4-0 in the dying stages as Messi fed Pedro, but the Spaniard was denied by the keeper as Barca were forced to settle for the three-goal winning margin.
Barney Corkhill
