Barcelona’s remarkable winning start reaches 111-year milestone after seven-goal victory

Barcelona’s 7-2 victory over Racing Santander has produced a series of historic milestones, including a start not seen by the club for 111 years.

Barcelona scored seven times and conceded twice at Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday to maintain their perfect record after six La Liga matches. The result also extended their winning run to seven matches in all official competitions, including their victory over Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League.

During that sequence, Barcelona have scored 33 goals, with 28 of them coming in La Liga.

According to statistics published by the account Mister Chip, no side in La Liga history had previously combined six straight victories at the start of a season with at least 28 goals after the opening six matches.

The only other team to score at least 28 times across those first six matchdays was Pepe Brand’s Sevilla, who registered 32 goals in 1940-41. However, Sevilla won only four of their opening six league games.

The wider record also extends beyond the league. French statistics outlet Stats Foot said Barcelona had scored 33 goals in their first seven official matches of a season for the first time since the post-war period.

A further statistic from Mister Chip showed how unusual the opening has been. Barcelona had not begun a season with seven consecutive wins and at least 33 goals in all official competitions since 1915-16 a gap of 111 years.

That earlier team, managed by Jack Greenwell, also won its first seven matches and scored 44 goals during the run.

The figures underline Hansi Flick’s impact since taking charge at Barcelona. The German has overseen 95 victories in 124 official matches on the club’s bench, giving him a win rate of 77%.

Stats Foot said that was the best winning percentage achieved by a Barcelona manager in the 21st century, ahead of Luis Enrique’s 76%.

Wednesday’s match against Racing Santander brought another rare club record, with Barcelona awarded three penalties in a single La Liga game.

Mister Chip noted that the club had experienced that only three times previously, with each occasion also taking place at home. The earlier matches were against Sabadell in 1944, Osasuna in 1994 and Sporting Gijon in 2016.

In the 2-1 win over Sabadell on 22 October 1944, Josep Escola took all three penalties, scoring two and having one saved. Barcelona also beat Osasuna 8-1 in the 1994 match.