Barcelona 5-2 Rayo Vallecano: Raphinha and Yamal braces bury a scare
Barcelona fell behind early, then hit Rayo Vallecano for five as Raphinha and Lamine Yamal scored twice each to keep Hansi Flick's side unbeaten.
Barcelona's attack remains the most watchable show in La Liga, and this was the full production: a self-inflicted scare, a furious response, and seven goals in total. The 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano keeps Hansi Flick's side unbeaten in the early running.
How it happened
Rayo struck first. Sergio Camello converted Alvaro Garcia's cutback in the 12th minute, with Yahoo Sports reporting the opening came after a Jules Kounde error. Barcelona's answer took seven minutes and was emphatic: Raphinha finished a brilliant solo run in the 19th, and Lamine Yamal curled one into the top corner in the 21st.
Barcelona thought they had a third before the break through Kounde, ruled out for offside, then got it anyway just after halftime when Florian Lejeune turned into his own net in the 47th. Rayo refused to fold — Camello headed in Unai Lopez's corner in the 59th to make it 3-2 — but Barcelona pulled away late. Per 101 Great Goals, Gordon teed up Raphinha's second in the 71st before Yamal completed his own brace with a composed finish in the 90th.
What it means
The headline is the front line. Raphinha and Yamal now have matching braces in the same game, and Yamal's two finishes — one curled into the top corner, one calmly slotted late — were the work of a player fully in rhythm. The caveat is at the other end: a Kounde mistake gifted the opener and a routine corner produced Rayo's second. Flick will take a seven-goal thriller in August, but the sloppiness is the part he will replay.
For Rayo, there is something real here too. Camello's two goals mean they twice punished Barcelona's lapses on the road; sharper game management and that becomes points against lesser opponents.