Raphinha hits hat-trick as Barcelona put seven past Santander
Barcelona thrashed Racing Santander 7-2 to move three points clear at the top of La Liga. Raphinha scored three, three others joined him on the scoresheet, and the champions kept up a wild scoring run.
Joao Cancelo set the tone in the eighth minute. His long-range shot crashed in off the crossbar to open the scoring. Raphinha then won a penalty after a foul by Pedro Felipe and scored it himself for 2-0. Barcelona's third was luck and thunder combined, another Cancelo drive from distance deflected in off Racing striker Asier Villalibre. The Guardian
Raphinha took over after the break. Dani Olmo played him through for Barcelona's fourth, a calm finish for the captain. He then completed his hat-trick, three goals in one game, from the penalty spot for 5-2 after Karim Adeyemi was brought down.
Racing did not roll over. Maguette Gueye beat goalkeeper Joan Garcia for 3-1 in the first half. Garcia did not return after the break, with Wojciech Szczesny replacing him after he appeared to injure himself slipping. Yassir Zabiri then pounced for Racing's second, tackling Szczesny after the goalkeeper dwelled on the ball.
Barcelona finished fast. Gabriel Jesus tapped in the sixth after good work from Lamine Yamal. Yamal then scored the seventh himself, set up by Adeyemi. Yamal also had a penalty saved by Julen Agirrezabala after Adeyemi was fouled in the box.
The numbers are startling. Barcelona now have 33 goals in their first seven games in all competitions. Hansi Flick has become the first Barcelona manager to win his opening seven competitive matches of a season. Raphinha's treble took him to nine league goals, stretching his lead as La Liga's top scorer.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid beat Osasuna 4-0 at the Metropolitano. Jonathan David, Lee Kang-in, Robin Le Normand and Alex Baena all scored. The win lifted Atletico into third place, five points behind Barcelona.
What makes this stand out is the noise around both grounds. Seven goals in Barcelona, four in Madrid, and strangers leaving the stadium with the same story to tell on the way home.
