Barcelona responded to an early setback with a commanding 5–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano at Spotify Camp Nou, extending their perfect start to three La Liga matches. Hansi Flick’s side now lead the standings with nine points, sitting ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference.
Rayo stunned the home crowd in the 12th minute when Sergio Camello finished to give the visitors a surprise lead. Barcelona responded quickly, with Raphinha equalising in the 19th minute after a composed individual move. Lamine Yamal then put the hosts ahead two minutes later, curling a left-footed effort into the top corner.
The turnaround reflected Barcelona’s ability to remain composed after conceding. Rather than allowing Rayo’s early goal to disrupt their rhythm, Flick’s team increased the pressure and began finding space between the visitors’ defensive and midfield lines. Their passing speed and movement around the penalty area eventually overwhelmed Rayo’s organised opening approach.
Barcelona extended their lead early in the second half when Florian Lejeune turned the ball into his own net. Rayo refused to collapse, however, and Camello scored his second of the night in the 59th minute to reduce the deficit to one goal. The striker’s brace gave the visitors renewed hope and ensured Barcelona had to manage a tense period before reasserting control.
Raphinha settled the contest in the 71st minute. Anthony Gordon created the opening with a clever backheel, allowing the Brazilian to finish and score his second goal of the match. The goal took Raphinha’s league tally to five in three games, making him La Liga’s leading scorer at this early stage of the campaign.
Yamal completed the scoring in the 90th minute with a low finish after receiving a layoff from Karim Adeyemi. The teenager’s second goal capped another influential performance and reinforced his importance to Barcelona’s attacking structure. His first goal of the match also marked his 50th for the club, making him the youngest player from any team in Europe’s top five leagues to reach that milestone since at least the 2014–15 season.
Barcelona have now scored 12 goals in their first three league matches, while their goal difference stands at plus 10. The result keeps them level on points with Real Madrid, but Flick’s team currently occupy first place because of their superior goal difference.
Rayo remain without a victory after three matches and sit 18th with one point. For Barcelona, the result was another demonstration of their attacking depth and resilience. They were briefly exposed by Camello’s finishing, but Raphinha and Yamal supplied the individual quality needed to turn a difficult opening into a convincing win.
