Raphinha's Hat Trick Fuels Barcelona's Sixth Straight League Win

Raphinha is turning Barcelona’s start to the season into his own personal showcase.

The Brazilian forward struck a ruthless hat trick on Wednesday as Barcelona demolished Racing Santander 7-2, maintaining a perfect record of six wins from six in La Liga and underscoring the brutal edge Hansi Flick has brought to the champions.

By the final whistle, the numbers were staggering. Barcelona have now hit at least five goals in five of their seven games in all competitions. Raphinha’s treble pushed him to nine league goals in six matches, the top mark in Spain, and he has failed to score in only one outing this season.

Racing simply could not live with the wave of attacks. Gabriel Jesus and João Cancelo both got on the scoresheet, Asier Villalibre turned into his own net, and Lamine Yamal finally claimed a goal after a wild, frustrating night in front of goal. Maguette Gueye and Yassir Zabiri offered brief resistance for the visitors, but this was a mismatch from the moment Barcelona found their rhythm.

Flick’s side are not just winning; they are steamrolling. Across seven matches in all competitions, Barcelona have outscored opponents 33-7, with only one game this season finishing with fewer than four Barça goals — a relatively modest 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao. Elche, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia have already been swept aside in La Liga, while Feyenoord were brushed off in the Champions League.

Raphinha set the tone again here, drifting into dangerous pockets, attacking the box, and finishing with the calm of a player at the peak of his confidence. Every time Barcelona surged forward, Racing’s back line looked exposed, and the Brazilian punished them repeatedly.

Yamal’s evening told a different story before it finally turned. The teenager had a goal ruled out for offside, then saw a penalty saved, then watched another effort crash off the post. The crowd groaned with him each time. He kept demanding the ball, kept driving at defenders, and eventually, late on, he got his reward with a deserved goal to cap the rout.

There was one sour note. Goalkeeper Joan García failed to reappear after halftime, replaced by Wojciech Szczesny because of an apparent injury. The change immediately altered the tone at the back. Szczesny was caught in possession inside his own area, robbed in front of goal, and Racing pounced to pull one back from his blunder. It barely dented the scoreline, but it will not have pleased Flick, who has built this early-season surge on ruthless attacking and a relatively tight defensive record.

Even with that lapse, Barcelona’s dominance is clear on the table. They hold a three-point lead over Real Madrid, who won at Elche on Tuesday, and look every inch a side intent on defending their title with style and aggression.

Six league games. Six wins. Thirty-three goals in seven across all fronts. If this is only the opening act of Flick’s Barcelona, what happens when the season truly starts to bite?