Barcelona delivered a commanding 7-0 victory over Rayo Valladolid on Saturday afternoon at Montjuic Stadium, signing off for the international break in style.
The Hansi Flick era at Barca continued with an ideal start on matchday 4 of the 2024/25 La Liga season, as the Catalan giants sought to maintain their perfect record this campaign.
Before the match, Barca showed tremendous support for their teenage sensation Marc Bernal, who has been impressive in his first few games with the senior team.
Unfortunately, Bernal suffered a ruptured ACL and meniscus damage during the latter stages of Tuesday’s victory over Rayo Vallecano, sidelining him for 10-12 months.
The team paid tribute by wearing special T-shirts with the message “Estem amb tu Marc,” Catalan for “We are with you, Marc.”
Barca began the game on the front foot, dominating play and creating early chances. Their persistence nearly paid off when Dani Olmo’s deflected shot beat the goalkeeper but was denied by the crossbar.
The breakthrough came in the 10th minute when Raphinha opened the scoring after a brilliant diagonal run, slotting home a well-placed long pass from Pau Curbasi.
Ten minutes later, Lewandowski doubled the lead, bringing his tally to four goals in four La Liga matches after receiving a lofted pass from Lamine Yamal, who is having a stellar season.
Lewandowski’s goal made him the first player to score in four consecutive La Liga games since Lionel Messi in 2018.
Olmo had another chance to score his second goal of the season, but once again, the post denied him as his effort struck the woodwork.
Kounde added Barca’s third goal of the night and his first of the season just before halftime, capitalizing on a rebound from a corner to keep the momentum alive at Montjuic Stadium.
Barcelona maintained their dominance over Valladolid in the second half, continuing their high press and controlling possession.
It didn’t take long for Raphinha to score his second of the match, showing a keen eye for a hat trick as he reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box, effortlessly firing it into the net to make it 4-0 for Barca.
Despite the comfortable lead, Barca showed no signs of slowing down. Raphinha had other plans, completing his hat trick with a perfectly timed through ball from 17-year-old Lamine Yamal.
Raphinha made no mistake, striking the ball into the center of the goal, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
Barca’s relentless attack continued as summer signing Dani Olmo added a sixth goal, calmly finishing a low pass from Raphinha into the back of the net.
Just three minutes later, Ferran Torres completed the rout. A precise pass from Raphinha found Ferran, whose shot managed to beat the keeper at the near post, putting the icing on the cake.
The 7-0 victory over Valladolid means Barcelona remains the only club in the division with a perfect record after matchday 4 of the 2024/25 La Liga season. The Catalan giants head into the international break comfortably at the top of the table with 12 points.
