Barcelona continued their strong start to the 2026/27 La Liga season with a 5–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano on Monday, making it three wins from three matches.
Brazilian forward Raphinha and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal both scored twice as Barcelona recovered from conceding the opening goal to secure another three points.
Rayo Vallecano took a surprise lead through Sergio Camello, who finished a first-time effort to put the hosts under early pressure. Barcelona responded through Raphinha, who displayed excellent footwork before calmly finding the bottom corner.
Lamine Yamal then put Barcelona ahead with a powerful strike from just inside the penalty area.
Barcelona extended their advantage when Florian Lejeune turned Anthony Gordon’s cross into his own net, giving the Catalan giants a 3–1 lead.
Rayo refused to surrender and reduced the deficit when Camello headed home to make it 3–2.
However, Raphinha restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage after Gordon’s clever backheel found him inside the area, allowing the Brazilian to finish for his second goal of the night.
Yamal completed the scoring in stoppage time, curling a composed effort into the bottom corner from around 20 yards.
The result saw Yamal surpass 50 goals for Barcelona, with the 19-year-old reaching 51 goals for the club.
Raphinha also matched a remarkable record, becoming the first player since Lionel Messi in 2017 to score five goals in Barcelona’s opening three La Liga matches of a season.
Barcelona have now collected all nine available points, keeping pace with Real Madrid, who have also won their opening three matches.
Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, remain on one point from their first three games.
Barcelona’s demanding opening schedule has seen their first three league fixtures played within just nine days, following a delayed start caused partly by the large number of players involved in the FIFA World Cup.
