Barcelona, Spain, 1 September (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Barcelona continued their perfect start to the La Liga season with an emphatic 5-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano at Spotify Camp Nou, as Lamine Yamal and Raphinha both scored twice. The Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano clash also produced another landmark moment for Yamal, who reached 50 senior goals for the Catalan club.
Rayo took a surprise lead in the 12th minute after Álvaro García advanced down the left and found Sergio Camello, who finished past Joan García.
Barcelona responded quickly. Raphinha equalised in the 19th minute following good work from Pedri before Yamal turned the match around two minutes later with a curling left-footed strike into the top corner. The goal marked his 50th for Barcelona.
Why Barcelona took control after falling behind
Hansi Flick’s side increased the pressure after taking the lead and extended their advantage shortly after half-time when Florian Lejeune turned the ball into his own net in the 51st minute.
Rayo refused to surrender and Camello scored his second goal eight minutes later to reduce the deficit to 3-2. Barcelona, however, regained control when Raphinha struck again in the 71st minute to restore the two-goal advantage.
Yamal completed the scoring in the 90th minute after receiving the ball from Karim Adeyemi and finding the bottom corner from outside the penalty area.
Flick praised Barcelona’s reaction after conceding the opening goal, saying: “In the first half we played wonderfully, and we had a good reaction after conceding the goal.”
The Barcelona coach also stressed the importance of controlling possession more effectively when his side are protecting a lead.
What the victory means for Barcelona
The Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano result leaves Barcelona with nine points from their opening three league matches.
Flick’s team had already beaten Elche 5-0 and Athletic Club 2-0, giving them 12 goals across their first three La Liga fixtures.
Rayo remain without a league victory and have collected one point from their opening three games. Camello’s two goals gave the visitors opportunities to stay competitive, but Barcelona’s attacking quality ultimately proved decisive.
The match also highlighted Yamal’s increasing importance to Flick’s side. Reaching 50 Barcelona goals at just 19 further strengthened his status as one of the club’s most influential attacking players.
What Barcelona face next
Barcelona travel to Mestalla to face Valencia on Sunday, 6 September, where they will attempt to maintain their perfect domestic record.
They are then scheduled to return to European competition against Feyenoord at Spotify Camp Nou on 9 September.
Barcelona will be encouraged by their attacking output, although Flick will also want improvements after Rayo twice exposed defensive weaknesses. Three victories from three nevertheless leave the champions with strong early momentum in their title defence.
