Barcelona (AFP) - Barcelona was able to come back from a goal down to win a wide victory against Rayo Vallecano 5-2 on Monday at Camp Nou in the third stage of the Spanish Football League, thanks to a brace by Lamine Jamal and the Brazilian Rafinha, thus maintaining its perfect record at the beginning of the campaign to defend its title.

Published on: 01/09/2026 - 07:39

The Catalan giant, winner of the title in the past two seasons, regained first place with 9 points, ahead of its rival Real Madrid on goal difference (+2), noting that it and the Royal Club are the only two teams to achieve the full score so far.

Barcelona was surprised at the beginning of the match with a quick attack that was ended by Sergio Camillo, who opened the scoring for the visitors in the 9th minute, but the host responded quickly in the 19th minute after a wonderful dribble and shot from its captain Rafinha, who once again occupied the number 9 position.

A powerful shot into the top corner by the Spanish national team's talent, Jamal, gave the hosts the lead just two minutes after equalizing.

French defender Florian Le Jeune increased the hosts' lead when he diverted the ball into his team's net while intercepting a cross by English international Anthony Gordon (51).

But despite this progress, it became clear that the Blaugrana had not yet addressed its defensive weaknesses despite its promising transfer market, as it allowed Camillo once again to reduce the difference with a header following a corner kick (59).

Before the “Seleção” star scored Barcelona’s fourth goal (71), after a wonderful backheel pass from Gordon, scoring his second brace in three league matches.

Gamal concluded the goals, raising his tally over the age of 19 to 51 in La Liga, with a ground shot from the edge of the penalty area (90).

Barcelona's German coach, Hansi Flick, told the Dazon platform after the match, "I think we played really well in the first half. Scoring a goal against us 1-0 was possible, but the reaction was very good, and I liked many things I saw in the first half."

He believed that "when you lead 3-1, especially at home, you have to control the match much better."

He added, "We have the quality to control the match and increase possession of the ball. The mentality of our team and some of the players always tends to continue attacking."

Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus, who joined Barcelona from Arsenal, watched the match from the stands.

Flick said about him, "For me, he is a first-class striker, and of course he is very important for us. He can give us many things, and I am very happy to have him here."

© 2026 AFP

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