Barcelona, Sept 18:
Raphinha scored a hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Racing Santander 7-2 to make the best start in the club’s history, winning their opening seven competitive matches of the season.
Barcelona were in control from the start at Camp Nou, with Joao Cancelo opening the scoring with a spectacular long-range strike. Raphinha then converted from the penalty spot before Racing pulled one back, but Barcelona quickly restored their advantage through a deflected Cancelo effort and Raphinha’s second goal.
Raphinha completed his hat-trick after the break, while Gabriel Jesus and Lamine Yamal also found the net. Racing scored a second through Yassir Zabiri, but Barcelona continued to dominate and finished with seven goals. The victory took their tally to 33 goals in seven matches.
The result saw Hansi Flick become the first Barcelona manager to win the club’s opening seven competitive matches of a season. Barcelona maintained their three-point advantage over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, while Raphinha’s three-goal performance further underlined his importance to Flick’s attacking unit.