Raphinha hat-trick steers Barcelona to 7-2 LaLiga win over Racing Santander

Raphinha scored a hat-trick as Barcelona defeated Racing Santander 7-2 in LaLiga on Wednesday, a victory that gave the club seven wins from seven this season for the first time in its history and restored a three-point lead over Real Madrid.

The Brazilian completed his treble after being substituted after 67 minutes, having scored twice from the penalty spot and once from open play; the three goals took his tally to 11 in all competitions this season. Before Wednesday’s game he had already registered six goals and three assists in his first five LaLiga appearances and had scored in four of Barcelona’s opening five league matches.

Manager Hansi Flick praised the team’s intensity and collective work while warning the start must be sustained. “It’s always good to start well, but what matters is how you finish. It gives us confidence, and I like the momentum and the intensity,” Flick said. “Everyone presses, everyone is involved. How we work as a team is crucial,” the Barcelona manager added.

Barcelona entered the campaign with doubts over centre-forward options after Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres left and their pursuit of Julin Alvarez did not materialise; Raphinha has instead flourished in a central role and has become one of the main driving forces behind Flick’s prolific attack. Lamine Yamal contributed a goal and two assists despite missing a first-half penalty, Gabriel Jesus scored after replacing Raphinha, and Karim Adeyemi provided an assist.

The forward line has been prolific, with Barcelona scoring 33 goals across seven matches, but defensive issues persist: the side have conceded five goals across their last three matches, goalkeeper Joan Garcia was forced off against Santander and Wojciech Szczesny was punished after being caught in possession.

The next test comes against Sevilla on Saturday, with Barcelona looking to extend their perfect LaLiga start.