The late summer evening in Barcelona was painted in gold and crimson, the Spotify Camp Nou bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.
By the time the floodlights came alive, the 99,000 seats were filled, the roar of anticipation shaking the stands like rolling thunder.
Tonight wasn't just a match. It was a declaration.
Hansi Flick didn't tweak his starting XI, fielding the regular 4-2-3-1 formation. Jose Garcia started in goal, with Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde being the men in defense.
In midfield was the duo of Pedri and Gavi, Sam back to his regular central attacking midfield position, while the attacking trio were Lamine Yamal on the right, Raphinha on the left, and Robert Lewandowski leading the line as the striker.
Villarreal started in a more conservative 4-4-2 formation with Filip Jorgensen in goal, while ahead of him was a defensive quadruple of Juan Foyth, Raul Albiol, Jorge Cuenca, and Alfonso Pedraza.
In midfield was the quadruple of Yeremy Pino, Dani Parejo, Etienne Capoue, and Alex Baeana, while upfront in attack were Gerard Moreno and Eyong.
FWEEE!
The referee gave the signal to start the game.
From the very first whistle, Barcelona's intent was as sharp as a knife.
Villarreal barely had their first touch before Gavi snapped into a tackle, flicking the ball to Pedri, who spun away and fired it into Sam's feet.
Sam turned. And in a blur, the ball was at Lamine Yamal's feet on the right flank. A feint from the wonderkid, then a burst of speed, and a low cross fizzed into the box like a homing missile, but… blocked!
Villarreal were not safe yet though as the rebound fell to Raphinha, who took one touch, cut inside, and hammered a low shot past Jorgensen.
GOAL!
1-0 Barcelona. Three minutes in.
The Spotify Camp Nou exploded.
Villarreal barely had time to breathe. The high press was suffocating; Sam, Lewandowski, and Raphinha hunting like predators, forcing mistakes in Villareal's own third.
In the 14th minute, Kounde intercepted a lazy pass and drove forward with the ball, playing a cross field pass to Raphinha.
Instead of taking on his man, the Brazilian spotted Sam peeling off Albiol's shoulder. One quick disguised pass later, Sam was through, dinking the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper with the calm of a man playing street football in Nigeria.
2-0 Barcelona.
Smooth, effortless, ice-cold.
"Sam!" "Sam!" "Sam!"
The stadium sang his name as Sam ran to the corner flag, crossing his arms to do his now trademark Black Panther celebration.
The cameras caught Lewandowski laughing in disbelief at the audacity.
Raphinha wasn't done though. This new season, critics have had their say with him as compared to last season and the one before that, he's had an underwhelming start compared to the standards that he already set.
But tonight, Raphinha seemed determined to finally explode.
In the 25th minute, he received the ball deep on the left, with Foyth tight on his back. A little nudge sent the defender off balance, and Raphinha was gone…
WHOOSH!
He roared down the flank like the flash.
Cuenca stepped up, but the Brazilian slid the ball through his legs before whipping in a cross that bent perfectly between Villarreal's center backs.
Lewandowski met it like a freight train.
BAM!
3-0 Barcelona.
The Spotify Camp Nou was a cauldron now, every pass greeted with 'ole' chants.
Barcelona were flying, and one man led it… it was the Raphinha show.
Villarreal tried to fight back, but every time they crossed midfield, Araujo stood there, a wall of muscle and timing. Cubarsi, playing with the poise of a veteran, calmly recycled possession, starting yet another Barca wave.
In the 38th minute, Sam picked up the ball near the center circle, and the crowd sensed something.
He danced past Capoue, ghosted by Parejo, then threaded an outrageous trivela into Raphinha's stride.
No hesitation…
BAM!
Raphinha went for the far post with his weaker right foot. The ball curled beautifully into the net.
4-0. The Brazilian raised his arms to the sky, soaking in the adoration.
The first half came to an end 4-0 and it was all Barcelona.
The second half started and Hansi Flick didn't pull back; no mercy. He wanted the ruthlessness drilled into his players.
In the 50th minute, Lamine Yamal finally got his moment. Cutting in from the right, he curled a vicious shot toward the far corner. Jorgensen parried, but Sam, alive to every bounce, smashed in the rebound.
5-0.
It was a trouncing now.
The match had long been over as a contest, but Barcelona still weren't done playing even at 5-0. After the win against Liverpool, the squad was in high spirits and it showed in their display tonight.
Every combination pass and every diagonal switch was met with oohs and aahs from the crowd.
In the 67th minute, Raphinha completed his hattrick of assists.
This time, a reverse pass from the left caught Villarreal's backline lacking. Pedri surged into the box, met it first time, and side-footed home.
6-0.
"MY GOD!"
"FC BARCELONA IS ON FIRE!"
"NOW, THIS IS A STATEMENT!"
"MADRID, BEWARE!"
By the 85th minute, Villarreal were broken. Their players could not wait for the final whistle to end their misery.
Hansi Flick had rotated earlier, bringing on Ferran Torres for Lewandowski, De Jong for Gavi, but the dominance didn't stop.
And finally, the nail on the coffin came.
The last goal came from pure swagger. Sam, near the touchline, pulled off a perfect elastico to skip past Pedraza, then whipped in a teasing cross. Ferran ghosted between the center backs and nodded it in.
7-0.
When the whistle finally blew, Villarreal players trudged off, their faces pale. Barcelona's stood tall, soaking in the applause.
The man of the match for the night?
Raphinha. The Brazilian stole the show with a stunning display of 2 goals and 3 assists. Sam wasn't far behind with his 2 goals and 1 assist.
It was a game of endless chaos.
The headlines were already written before the players reached the tunnel:
["BARCA'S BRAZILIAN FLAME – RAPHINHA ARRIVES."]
["SAM & RAPHINHA TEAR VILLARREAL APART."]
["7-0. CAMP NOU CARNAGE."]
And somewhere deep inside, every Real Madrid fan watching knew… their rivals weren't just winning.
They were destroying.