By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the LaLiga season in emphatic fashion on Wednesday, thrashing Racing Santander 7-2 at Camp Nou, with Raphinha scoring a hat-trick.
The Brazilian forward was the standout performer, scoring twice in the first half before completing his treble from the penalty spot in the 67th minute.
João Cancelo opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a superb strike into the top corner before Raphinha doubled Barcelona’s advantage from the spot in the 25th minute.
Racing briefly threatened to disrupt Barcelona’s dominance when Maguette Gueye pulled one back in the 30th minute. However, an own goal from Asier Villalibre restored Barcelona’s two-goal cushion before Raphinha struck again in the 42nd minute to give the hosts a 4-1 lead at half-time.
Racing reduced the deficit again in the 65th minute through Yassir Zabiri after a goalkeeping error, but Raphinha responded two minutes later by converting another penalty to complete his hat-trick.
Gabriel Jesus added Barcelona’s sixth goal in the 79th minute, while Lamine Yamal completed the rout shortly before full-time after a strong run and pass from Karim Adeyemi.
The victory means Barcelona have won all six of their opening LaLiga matches, preserving their 100 per cent record. Contemporary match reports also identified Raphinha as the central figure in another commanding attacking display from Hansi Flick’s side.
