“This pitch gives me good luck,” jokes Fermín López after scoring brace in six-goal Barça victory | OneFootball

With the Spotify Camp Nou still not ready to welcome the team back, and the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys out of action due to a concert, Barcelona were forced to play their fourth LaLiga fixture of the 2025/26 season at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

Just shy of 6,000 fans made their way to Sant Feliu de Llobregat to watch Barça take on Valencia – a side they had comprehensively beaten twice last season. Usually the home to Barça Atlétic and Barça Femení, Sunday marked the first time in history that the Estadi Johan Cruyff had ever hosted an official men’s first team fixture.

A stunning 6-0 win over Los Che was the reward for those who had managed to secure tickets, with braces from Fermín López, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski sealing an emphatic victory for Hansi Flick’s men. Speaking post-match to TV3 and Movistar+, Fermín joked that “this pitch gives me good luck,” having bagged a further two goals when Barça hosted Como in a pre-season match at the stadium in August.

Barcelona were dominant from the very start of Sunday’s match as they looked to rise up the LaLiga table and continue an unbeaten start to their title defence, and Fermín’s opener finally broke the deadlock in the 28th minute. “It was a great team play,” he recalled, highlighting “a great assist from Ferran [Torres] and then I was able to score.”

The goals flowed faster after the break, with the introduction of Raphinha from the bench proving catalytic. The Brazilian scored twice within 25 minutes; his goals coming either side of Fermín’s second. Robert Lewandowski, a late substitute, also found the back of the net twice to complete the rout.

“It was a difficult game at the start,” reflected 22-year-old Fermín, “but the whole team was at a good level and the scoreline reflects that. We took our chances.”

Fermín took chances of his own over the summer, too. Amidst reports of serious interest from Chelsea, the El Campillo native opted to stay put in Barcelona – and he affirmed post-match that he “never had any doubts” about the decision.

“Not everything that was said is true,” he revealed, “but I don’t want to get into that. My intention has always been to spend many years here.”