Barcelona 5-2 Rayo Vallecano: Yamal and Raphinha lead comeback win

Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the league season as Lamine Yamal and Raphinha each scored twice in a 5-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano.

Hansi Flick’s side had to recover from an early setback after Sergio Camello gave Rayo the lead, but Barcelona responded with four unanswered goals before Camello struck again to keep the visitors in contention.

The result means Barcelona have won all three of their league matches this season and extended their remarkable home league winning run to 21 games.

Rayo had failed to score on each of their previous four visits to Barcelona but broke that sequence inside 12 minutes. Alvaro Garcia raced forward on the left and picked out Camello with a pull-back, allowing the striker to send a powerful shot into the top corner.

Barcelona quickly restored parity. Raphinha received a pass from Xavi Espart, beat the final defender and calmly rolled the ball beyond Rayo goalkeeper Daniel Cardenas.

The hosts then turned the game around. Marc Bernal found Yamal in the penalty area and the teenager shifted the ball onto his left foot before firing into the near corner past Cardenas. It was Yamal’s first goal of the 2026/27 campaign.

Barcelona controlled much of the remainder of the first half, although Pedri and Anthony Gordon were unable to take advantage of further opportunities. Jules Kounde also thought he had scored, but his effort was ruled out for offside shortly before the interval.

Flick’s team increased their lead six minutes after the restart. Dani Olmo released Gordon, who sent the ball across the face of goal. Rayo defender Florian Lejeune intervened but could only turn it into his own net.

Rayo refused to surrender, however, and Camello moved to two goals for the evening before the hour mark. The forward rose highest to meet a corner from Unai Lopez and headed home to make it 3-2.

The visitors then came close to an equaliser. Joan Garcia struggled to deal with a volley from Fran Perez, and Camello was poised to complete his hat-trick, but Pau Cubarsi made an important block to keep Barcelona ahead.

The home side eventually re-established control, with Gordon again involved in the build-up. After collecting a long pass, the England international cut inside and produced a clever backheel for Raphinha, who struck a low finish into the net for his second goal of the match and fifth of the season.

Yamal completed the scoring after Karim Adeyemi set him up. The teenager curled a precise effort into the bottom corner to claim his second goal of the game and confirm a 5-2 win.

Despite the convincing scoreline, Flick said Barcelona must become better at managing matches after taking the lead.

“The first half we played very well. The reaction after the goal has been very good,” Flick said.

“When we’re winning 3-1 we have to control the ball better because we have the quality to do it. It’s good to score, but with the ball we need to recover. We have to make the ball run.

“It has been a very tough rival. We have many matches left and even if we win 3-1, we have to learn to control the game. It’s good that they want to score, but we have to control the game.”

Barcelona will attempt to preserve their perfect league record when they travel to Mestalla to face Valencia on Sunday.