Barcelona vs Racing Santander Review
Barcelona scored at least five goals for the fifth time across all competitions and secured their sixth consecutive LaLiga victory this season with a 7-2 thrashing of Racing Santander, who have yet to earn a point away since their promotion to the top division. Before tonight, Barcelona had never scored more than 21 goals in their first five league matches since 2011. They quickly increased their tally when João Cancelo scored in the eighth minute with a remarkable shot.
After receiving a pass from Lamine Yamal, Cancelo positioned himself and unleashed a powerful curling right-footed strike from 25 yards out that hit the underside of the crossbar and went into the top corner. This marked the highlight of the first 20 minutes, which Barcelona dominated. During this period, Raphinha had a shot saved by Julen Agirrezabala, Dani Olmo narrowly missed with a shot wide, and Karim Adeyemi’s attempt went just over the goalkeeper and past the post.
The team’s dominance was rewarded with a second goal halfway through the first half when Pedri set up Raphinha for a breakaway, only for him to be fouled by Pedro Felipe. The Brazilian recovered and calmly converted the penalty, sending Agirrezabala the wrong way. Before this matchday, only the top four teams had scored more goals than Racing, and the visitors demonstrated their quality on the 30-minute mark when Maguette Gueye collected a loose ball near the box, dribbled past defenders, and finished beautifully to reduce the deficit.
However, just six minutes later, the home team restored their two-goal lead as a confident Cancelo fired a powerful shot from 30 yards out, which deflected beyond Agirrezabala’s reach. Hansi Flick’s side continued to press hard before halftime, allowing Raphinha to join Cancelo in scoring a first-half brace after a brilliant team move involving Rodri, Adeyemi, and Olmo set him up to score his eighth league goal in six games. In the final minute of the half, Adeyemi was fouled inside the box by Pedro Felipe, who conceded his second penalty of the match, but Yamal’s weak penalty attempt was well saved by Agirrezabala.
After the break, scoring opportunities continued to come as persistently as the rain at Camp Nou, with Yamal hitting the post shortly after Juan Carlos Arana missed a clear chance for Los Verdiblancos. Wojciech Szczęsny came on at halftime to replace the injured Joan García, but the experienced Polish goalkeeper was at fault for the first goal of the second half. He was pressured by Yassir Zabiri, who won the ball and easily scored into an empty net, marking his sixth goal of the season. This goal energized the home team, and during their next attack, Adeyemi earned Barcelona’s third penalty after being fouled by Iker Luque Sierra.
Raphinha then completed his hat-trick by placing the ball into the bottom corner. Yamal had a frustrating night personally, as one of his goals was disallowed for offside. However, 11 minutes before the end, his through pass allowed Gabriel Jesus to position himself and score his first league goal for Barcelona. In the closing moments, Zabiri was denied a second goal by a clearance on the goal line. Shortly after, Barcelona advanced down the left side, leading Adeyemi to pass to Yamal, who successfully scored this time. This secured an emphatic ninth consecutive head-to-head win for Barcelona, leaving Racing without a victory at Camp Nou since 1983.
