Raphinha’s hat-trick keeps Barcelona perfect after 7-2 win

Barcelona beat Racing Santander 7-2 at Camp Nou on Wednesday, extending their perfect La Liga start to six wins and 18 points. The result leaves Barcelona 11 points clear of Racing Santander, who remain 10th with seven points from six matches.

How it happened

J. Cancelo opened the scoring in the eighth minute after Lamine Yamal’s assist, and Raphinha converted a 25th-minute penalty. M. Gueye pulled one back for Racing Santander in the 30th minute, but A. Villalibre’s own goal restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage six minutes later. Raphinha added his second in the 42nd minute from Dani Olmo’s pass, while Yamal missed a penalty before half-time. Y. Zabiri made it 4-2 in the 65th minute, but Raphinha completed his hat-trick from the spot two minutes later. Gabriel Jesus scored in the 79th minute and Yamal finished the scoring in the 89th.

The numbers

Barcelona produced 30 total shots to Racing Santander’s five, including 23 efforts from inside the box. Their 69% possession and 646 passes, completed with 91% accuracy, kept the visitors under sustained pressure. The expected-goals figures also reflected the gap: Barcelona recorded 6.74 against Racing Santander’s 1.98.

Who decided it

Raphinha was the decisive figure, scoring three times in 69 minutes and earning a 10.0 match rating. He registered four shots on target and one key pass, taking his league total to nine goals and three assists in six appearances. Yamal added one goal and two assists, with three key passes, and has seven league goals this season.

Why it matters

Barcelona’s overall record is now 6W 0D 0L, with 28 goals scored and 22 goal difference. Racing Santander’s third defeat in six matches leaves them with a 2W 1D 3L record, a -5 goal difference and an away record of 0W 0D 3L.