Barcelona Beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 to Stay Top of La Liga
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal each scored twice as Barcelona made it three wins from three, leaving Rayo Vallecano on one point.
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A Five-Goal Barcelona Win
Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 on Monday in La Liga, Spain's top football division, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal scoring twice each.
Rayo led first through Sergio Camello, who met a cross with a tidy first-time finish. Raphinha equalised after some good footwork, slotting the ball into the bottom corner.
Lamine Yamal then put Barcelona ahead with a fierce shot from just inside the penalty area. Rayo defender Florian Lejeune turned a cross from Anthony Gordon into his own net to make it 3-1.
Late Goals and Two Milestones
Camello headed a second goal to give Rayo hope, before England forward Gordon set up Raphinha with a backheel for 4-2.
Lamine Yamal completed the scoring in injury time, cushioning a left-footed shot from 20 yards into the bottom left corner after a pass from Karim Adeyemi.
BBC Sport reports that Raphinha is the first player to score five goals in the first three La Liga games of a season since Lionel Messi did so for Barcelona in 2017. Lamine Yamal, who is 19, took his tally past 50 goals for the club, with the injury-time strike his 51st.
The League Table
Barcelona and Real Madrid are the only two teams on nine points after three matches, meaning both have won every game so far. Rayo Vallecano have one point from their three fixtures.
The sources do not give the full standings beyond those teams, so the exact order at the top and the positions of the rest of the division are not stated.
Barcelona's opening three matches were played across nine days. According to BBC Sport, the fixtures were compressed because the club started the season late, a consequence of the number of World Cup players in their squad.
Other Moments in the Match
Rayo pushed for more goals late on. Lejeune headed wide from the centre of the box after a Pedro Díaz cross from a corner, and Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García saved a right-footed shot from Alemão.
At the other end, João Cancelo shot just over the bar from outside the area. Rayo's Adrià Pedrosa was shown a yellow card for a bad foul.
Barcelona substitute Hamza Abdelkarim replaced Raphinha in the closing stages.
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