Raphinha's Hat Trick Leads Barcelona to 7–2 Victory Over Racing
Raphinha is turning Barcelona’s start to the season into a personal showcase. On Wednesday night he tore through Racing Santander with a ruthless hat trick as Hansi Flick’s side ran out 7–2 winners, stretching their perfect La Liga record to six wins from six.
By the time the Brazilian walked off, he had tightened his grip on the league’s scoring charts. Nine goals in six league games. A goal in every outing but one this season. He is not just in form; he is setting the pace.
Barcelona are doing the same. This was another avalanche. They have now hit at least five goals in five of their seven matches in all competitions, a staggering return from a team still getting used to a new coach but already playing like they’ve known this script for years.
Goals Overview
Goals came from everywhere. Gabriel Jesus got in on the act. João Cancelo struck as well. Racing’s Asier Villalibre turned into his own net under pressure, summing up the chaos Barcelona created every time they surged forward. Racing at least found brief respite through Maguette Gueye and Yassir Zabiri, but their goals barely nudged the scoreboard in a match that never looked in doubt.
The only time Barcelona have dipped below four goals this season was in a 2–0 win over Athletic Bilbao. That statistic alone tells the story of their intent. Flick has this team playing on fast-forward.
Lamine Yamal's Performance
Lamine Yamal embodied that relentlessness. The teenager had a goal ruled out for offside, then saw a penalty saved, then rattled the post. Lesser players might have drifted out of the game. Yamal kept demanding the ball and finally got his reward late on, his persistence mirroring the team’s refusal to ease off even with the result long settled.
This was not an isolated blowout. In La Liga, Barcelona have already crushed Elche, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia. In the Champions League, Feyenoord felt the same force. Across seven games in all competitions, the aggregate score reads 33–7. Flick’s Barcelona are not just winning; they are overwhelming opponents.
There was one sour note. First-choice goalkeeper Joan García failed to reappear after halftime, replaced by Wojciech Szczesny following an apparent injury. Szczesny then endured a moment to forget, miscontrolling the ball inside his own area and being dispossessed for one of Racing’s goals. On a night when almost everything worked, that slip was a reminder that this machine is still being fine-tuned.
Even so, the bigger picture is hard to ignore. Barcelona now hold a three-point lead over Real Madrid, who won at Elche on Tuesday, and they are scoring at a rate that forces the rest of the league to chase not just results, but goal differences and momentum.
If this is how they look in September, what happens when the season’s real pressure arrives?
