Lionel Messi and Munir give Luis Enrique winning start at Barcelona

Argentinian scores twice to help Barça beat Elche 3-0
Catalans win, despite Javier Mascherano’s red card
Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates his second goal against Elche at Camp Nou.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates his second goal against Elche at Camp Nou. Photograph: Gustau Nacarino/Reuters

Goals from Lionel Messi and the teenager Munir El Haddadi ensured Luis Enrique got his era as Barcelona coach off to a winning start as they beat Elche 3-0.

The Catalans had to play the entire second half with 10 men after Javier Mascherano was sent off but they had earlier taken the lead through Messi, who also grabbed the third, with the exciting Munir, 18, scoring just after half-time.

Only six months ago Munir was playing for Barcelona’s Under-18s but announced himself to the world at Camp Nou on his full debut for the first team after finishing the pre-season as the club’s top scorer, with four goals. The youngster was born to Moroccan parents in Madrid but could be the next Barcelona idol, leaving the pitch to a standing ovation after thrilling the crowd with a lively first appearance.

The headlines will belong to Munir and a reinvigorated Messi but this was a fluid performance from Barça, who performed as if it was they and not Elche who were playing with an extra man.

Former Barcelona midfielder and idol Enrique had his name chanted by the Camp Nou faithful throughout the game and gave five players their first league starts for the club: three new signings Claudio Bravo, Jérémy Mathieu and Ivan Rakitic, plus the academy graduates Rafinha Alcântara and Munir.

The game was interrupted in the first minute as stewards struggled to remove a black cat that had raced on to the pitch but Barça soon took control of the play, demonstrating that Enrique is just as keen on his side dominating possession to dizzying levels as his predecessors were.

Rakitic had Barcelona’s first attempt of the game but failed to hit the target and then Munir came to within inches of scoring his first goal at Camp Nou midway through the first half, smashing the top of the crossbar from the left-hand side of the area, his effort applauded by the fans behind the goal.

It was then Andrés Iniesta’s turn to rattle the bar, while Dani Alves and Messi saw their shots miss the target.

Barça finally got the goal they deserved a few minutes before the break. Sergio Busquets dived in to intercept a sloppy pass from an Elche defender and the ball fell straight into the path of Messi, who needed only one touch to bring it under control before sweeping it into the bottom corner with his left foot.

However, Barcelona were dealt a setback only a minute after scoring, Mascherano sent off for bringing down Garry Rodrigues when he was clean through on goal.

Enrique responded to the red card by sacrificing forward Rafinha in favour of defender Marc Bartra immediately after the break but his attacking players reacted even more effectively to ensure Barcelona were in no danger of losing their lead after going a man down. Rakitic played a long ball over the top towards Munir, who waited patiently for it to drop and flicked it into the far corner of the net with a single touch.

However, Messi’s second goal of the night, arriving a quarter of an hour after Munir’s, was the finest move of the game. The Argentinian attacked down the right and shrugged off four Elche defenders to bring the ball on to his favoured left boot and drive it low into the bottom corner.