Raphinha bagged a hat-trick as La Liga leaders Barcelona ripped Racing Santander to shreds in a spectacular 7-2 win on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Real Madrid had drawn level with Barcelona following a 3-2 victory at Elche, but the Catalans restored their three-point lead with a barrage of goals against 10th-placed Racing.
Besides Raphinha’s hat-trick, Joao Cancelo, Gabriel Jesus, and Lamine Yamal also found the net for the unstoppable Catalan giants, who have scored 33 goals in seven matches across all competitions.
“For me, the most important thing is that we are always focused, with every pass. It’s like conversation, a good conversation,” Barca coach Hansi Flick told DAZN.
Despite their incredible start, Raphinha noted that he still wanted more from himself and his teammates.
“It’s always important to think you need to improve in some way,” Raphinha told DAZN.
“So I’ll never tell you I’m at my best level, because… I always try to improve as much as I can and give more to the team than I am given.”
As lightning lit up the sky over Camp Nou, Barca went ahead through a thunderous strike from Cancelo, and then Raphinha earned and scored a penalty to make it two for Barca.
Racing Santander reduced the deficit when Maguette Gueye powered his way through and slotted a tidy finish past Barca goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
That, however, was only a short-lived reprieve for the visitors, as Cancelo forced the third with another long-range strike that went in off Asier Villalibre.
Raphinha, flourishing in the role of Barca’s center-forward, claimed Barca’s fourth after Dani Olmo sent him through on goal.
Teenage sensation Yamal ought to have made it five after the electric Karim Adeyemi was fouled in the box, but Julen Agirrezabala kept out his penalty.
Barca’s backup goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny came on for Garcia at half-time, after the Spain international seemed to injure himself slipping on the wet pitch while going for the ball.
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Flick stated that the goalkeeper had “some problems” with his knee, though he was hopeful he would be fit to play at the weekend.
Yamal struck the post and later saw a goal disallowed for offside as the rain poured down in the second half.
Yassir Zabiri pulled another one back for Racing following a terrible mistake by Szczesny, who attempted to dribble the ball and failed, losing it right in front of his own goal.
Barcelona’s fifth came almost straight away, again from a penalty after Adeyemi was brought down.
Raphinha sealed his hat-trick from the spot, taking his league tally to nine and stretching his lead as the division’s top scorer.
He was replaced by his fellow countryman Gabriel Jesus, who made it six with a crisp finish into the top corner after being set up by Yamal, who then grabbed the seventh when Adeyemi assisted him.
