Raphinha penalty claim adds controversy to Barcelona’s emphatic win at Valencia

Barcelona moved to the top of La Liga with a 5-0 victory over Valencia at Mestalla, although a refereeing analysis has argued the visitors should also have been awarded a penalty.

Lamine Yamal scored twice, while Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Pedri were also on target as Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the league campaign.

The result took Barcelona’s total to 12 points from four matches, leaving them at the summit with a 100% record. Valencia, meanwhile, remained at the bottom of the table with only one point.

The disputed incident came shortly after half-time. In the 49th minute, Raphinha went down inside the Valencia penalty area following contact with Maffeo.

Archivo VAR, an account on X that focuses on controversial refereeing decisions, said the video assistant referee had failed to intervene correctly.

“VAR failed to award a penalty during the Valencia-Barcelona match,” the account said.

It added: “Maffeo touched the ball slightly and then brought down Raphinha, who had controlled it.”

Archivo VAR’s assessment was unequivocal: “It is a penalty. Although Maffeo touched the ball, his challenge prevented the Brazilian from continuing the play.”

The account also published footage of the incident with an accompanying analysis stating that Maffeo had only made a slight touch on the ball before bringing down Raphinha. Its conclusion was that the contact should have resulted in a spot-kick for Barcelona.

The decision did not prevent Barcelona from securing a convincing win, with their five goals settling the contest and keeping them clear at the top of the standings. However, the penalty claim has provided a separate talking point from a match otherwise dominated by the visitors.

Raphinha was involved in the incident at the start of the second half, and the VAR assessment focused on whether Maffeo’s touch on the ball was enough to justify the challenge. Archivo VAR argued that it was not, because the subsequent contact stopped Raphinha from continuing with possession.

The incident was therefore described by the account as a penalty despite the defender making contact with the ball. Its view was that the nature and effect of the challenge were decisive.

Barcelona’s win was built around goals from Yamal, who found the net twice, as well as Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Pedri. Valencia were unable to respond and remain at the foot of La Liga after four rounds.

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