Raphinha and Lamine Yamal’s combination inspired Barcelona to another victory.
Raphinha scored a scintillating hat-trick as Barcelona came from behind to defeat Sevilla 3-1, maintaining their perfect LALIGA record and securing his place in the club’s history books for the best goalscoring start to a season.
The Matchweek 7 clash at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Saturday evening pitted a high-flying Barcelona side against a surprisingly solid Sevilla team.
While Luis García’s Sevilla had enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, fuelled by a stout defence, they were ultimately blown away by the sheer individual brilliance of Raphinha.
With 14 goals in eight games, Raphinha eclipsed the early-season record of club legend Cesar Rodriguez (13 in eight) to become the player with the best goalscoring start to a campaign.
The match initially looked set to test Barcelona’s resolve. Sevilla struck first in the 19th minute when midfielder Youssouf Fofana finished off a well-worked move. Following a brief VAR review to confirm the validity of the goal, the home crowd erupted as Sevilla took a 1-0 lead.
However, their joy was exceptionally short-lived. Just three minutes later, Raphinha provided an immediate response, equalising in the 22nd minute to settle the visitors’ nerves before halftime.
The second half was entirely the Raphinha show. The Brazilian put Barcelona ahead in the 52nd minute, finishing off a Lamine Yamal assist to make it 2-1.
As Sevilla committed bodies forward in search of a lifeline, making a flurry of substitutions including the introduction of Chidera Ejuke, they left gaping holes in their defence.
Barcelona exploited the space, and Yamal played Raphinha through again, with the Brazilian completing his stunning hat-trick in the 69th minute.
With the three points securely in the bag and his, Raphinha was substituted to a standing ovation from the travelling fans in the 76th minute, making way for Karim Adeyemi as Barcelona comfortably saw out the 3-1 victory.