Barcelona, Raphinha extend perfect Liga opening

Barcelona strengthened their position at the top of La Liga with a sixth consecutive victory, while captain Raphinha maintained his decisive influence with a hat-trick. The Catalan side now has a perfect record after six matches and has opened a three-point gap over Real Madrid.

The league leaders beat Racing Santander 7-2. João Cancelo put Barcelona ahead in the eighth minute, and Raphinha added goals in the 25th and 42nd minutes. An own goal by Asier Villalibre made the difference four before half-time. Raphinha completed his treble in the 67th minute, followed by goals from Gabriel Jesus in the 79th and Lamine Yamal in the 89th.

Santander did manage to score through Maquette Guèye, the young Senegalese forward, but his side could not sustain a response against Barcelona’s attacking pressure. The visitors conceded again soon after reducing the deficit, leaving them with a heavy defeat.

Barcelona also missed several chances to make the margin even wider. Yamal failed to score from a penalty in the 45th minute, struck the post six minutes after the interval and later had a goal disallowed for offside. His late goal nevertheless completed the scoring and added to a result that keeps Barcelona firmly in control of the early standings.

Barcelona’s 18 points from 18 possible leave Real Madrid as the nearest challenger after Madrid defeated Elche 3-2 on Tuesday. The early table therefore shows Barcelona three points clear, with Raphinha’s scoring form helping sustain the club’s flawless start.