Barcelona Come From Behind to Thrash Rayo Vallecano 5-2 as Yamal and Raphinha Shine

Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the new LaLiga campaign with an entertaining 5-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano at the Spotify Camp Nou on Monday night.

The defending champions fell behind early but responded emphatically, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal both scoring twice as Hansi Flick’s side moved to nine points from three matches. The result also puts Barcelona level on points with Real Madrid at the top of the table, with goal difference separating the two giants.

Rayo stunned the home crowd in the 12th minute when Sergio Camello finished a move created by Álvaro García to give the visitors an unexpected lead.

Barcelona’s response was immediate.

Raphinha restored parity in the 19th minute before Yamal completed the turnaround two minutes later with a superb curling effort. The goal was particularly significant for the teenager, marking his 50th competitive goal for Barcelona and making him the youngest player to reach that milestone.

Barcelona continued to press after the interval and extended their advantage in the 51st minute when Rayo defender Florian Lejeune turned the ball into his own net.

Rayo refused to surrender, however, and Camello struck again in the 59th minute to reduce the deficit to 3-2 and briefly raise hopes of a remarkable comeback.

Those hopes were extinguished by Raphinha.

The Brazilian scored his second of the in the 71st minute after a clever backheel assist from Anthony Gordon, restoring Barcelona’s two-goal cushion. Yamal then completed the rout in the 90th minute with another composed finish, sealing his brace and Barcelona’s fifth goal.

The victory was another statement of Barcelona’s attacking strength under Flick. Raphinha has now continued his impressive early-season form, while Yamal’s brace provided another reminder of the young forward’s growing importance to the Catalan side.

Anthony Gordon also played a major role in the victory, contributing creatively and helping Barcelona maintain their attacking momentum.

Despite the emphatic scoreline, Barcelona were not flawless. Rayo managed to exploit defensive weaknesses at different stages, particularly after pulling the score back to 3-2. The champions were forced to raise their intensity again before eventually putting the match beyond doubt.

For Rayo, the defeat leaves them still searching for their first victory of the campaign.

For Barcelona, however, the message is clear: the champions have started the season at full speed.

Three matches, three victories, 12 goals scored, and a place at the top of LaLiga.

The next challenge comes against Valencia on September 6, when Flick’s side will attempt to extend their winning run to four league matches.