Raphinha runs riot as Barcelona make history 7-2 Santander

Raphinha continued his sensational start to the season with a hat-trick as Barcelona beat Racing Santander 7-2 on Wednesday. The Brazilian’s latest master class helped Barcelona achieve seven wins from seven games for the first time in the club’s history.

Barcelona restored their three-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga and Raphinha was once again at the center of their attacking display. After the win, Hansi Flick praised the team’s intensity and collective work, while stressing that their impressive start will only matter if they maintain it until the end of the season.

“It’s always good to start well, but it’s how you finish that matters. It gives us confidence and I like the momentum and the intensity,” said Flick.

“Everyone is pushing, everyone is involved. The decisive thing is how we work as a team,” added the Barcelona manager.

Raphinha was substituted after 67 minutes, having scored twice from the penalty spot and once from open play. The treble took him to 11 goals in all competitions this season, while he already had six goals and three assists in his first five LaLiga appearances before Wednesday’s game.

NO STRIKER, NO PROBLEM FOR BARCELONA

With the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, Barcelona entered the season with questions over their centre-forward options, while their pursuit of Julino Alvarez failed to materialise. Instead, Raphinha flourished in a central role and became one of the main driving forces behind Flick’s prolific attack.

The Brazilian has already scored in four of Barcelona’s first five league games, including preparations against Rayo Vallecano and Valencia, before netting two more goals against Feyenoord in the Champions League. Before his latest hat-trick, he had two assists in a 4-2 win over Levante.

Lamine Yamal added a goal and two assists against Santander despite missing a first-half penalty, while Gabriel Jesus also scored after replacing Raphinha. Karim Adeyemi provided the assist to give Flick another option in an attack that has scored 33 goals in seven games.

WHAT’S NEXT FLICK’S BARCELONA

Barcelona’s attacking numbers have been outstanding, but their defensive vulnerabilities remain a potential problem. They have conceded five goals in their last three games, while goalkeeper Joan Garcia was forced off against Santander and Wojciech Szczesny was penalized after being caught in possession.

However, Flick continues to trust an aggressive system built on pressing, a high defensive line and constant attacking pressure. The next test comes against Sevilla on Saturday as Barcelona look to extend their perfect start to LaLiga.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

17 Sep 2026 10:57 IST