Unstoppable Barca Tear Through Racing Like a Force of Nature in Dominant Display

Playing through thunderstorms and tornado warnings, Barcelona provided the fireworks themselves with a clinical attacking display, thrashing Racing Santander 7–2 to keep their perfect start to the season intact on Wednesday night.

It was all Barcelona from the opening whistle, and once again it took fewer than 10 minutes for the defending Spanish champions to break the deadlock. João Cancelo unleashed a thunderous effort from range that crashed off the crossbar and bounced over the line, making it an early goal-of-the-season contender.

The Catalan onslaught continued, and after bombarding Racing's goal with chance after chance, they doubled their advantage when Raphinha sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot after winning a penalty 25 minutes in.

Against the run of play, Racing pulled one back with their first attempt of the evening as Maguette Gueye exploited a disorganized Barça backline to loft the ball over Joan García on the half-hour mark. Some anxious moments followed for the home side, but calm was restored when Cancelo launched another long-range rocket that took a slight deflection—leading the goal to be later credited as an Asier Villalibre own-goal, robbing Cancelo of his brace.

Raphinha had no intention of being overshadowed and wrapped up his brace just before the interval to make it four. Even so, it could have been far more damaging for Racing, as Lamine Yamal squandered a penalty right before the break.

Barcelona eased off somewhat in the second half until Wojciech Szczęsny handed Racing their second goal by fumbling a routine pass out from the back, much to Yassir Zabiri's delight. But Barça hit back almost immediately as Karim Adeyemi earned his second penalty of the night and Raphinha completed his hat-trick in the 67th minute.

The Catalans were far from finished, however, as Gabriel Jesus and Lamine Yamal joined the scoring party late on to put the finishing touches on a thoroughly dominant performance that secured sole ownership of top spot in La Liga.

One Thing We Can't Ignore

Barcelona's relentless scoring machine is reaching truly staggering levels to open the campaign.

The inability to sign a high-profile center forward cast a shadow over Barcelona's summer window, but those concerns have long since faded as the Catalans have now netted 33 goals across their opening seven matches of the season. On top of that, they have scored four or more in all but one fixture so far.

Perhaps even more striking is that Barcelona's attacking output could realistically be even greater. In the first half alone against Racing, the Blaugrana squandered five of the seven clear-cut chances they fashioned. They have now missed 20 big chances across their last five games, yet have still managed to score 26 goals in that same period.

Flick's side rarely give opponents time to settle, having scored within the opening 20 minutes in six of their seven league outings this term. Additionally, four players have combined for nine brace performances, with the latest two arriving on Wednesday night.

This Barcelona attack is a fearsome unit, with every player on the field capable of contributing going forward. At no stage of the Flick era has the attack looked this prolific, and if they can sustain this form, they are a side capable of outscoring anyone on the planet.

Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Racing (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Joan García—5.7: Beaten at close range by a deft chip before being substituted at halftime with what appeared to be an injury.

RB: Eric García—7.3: Mistimed his jump attempting to intercept the pass that set up Racing's opener. Solid for the remainder of the match.

CB: Andreas Christensen—6.5: Barely had to exert himself given how infrequently he was tested, though he was slightly slow to react to Racing's lone goal of the evening.

CB: Gerard Martín—7.3: Much like his defensive partner, Martín had limited work to do on the night but handled his responsibilities well and was excellent in possession. Took an elbow to the face for the second consecutive match.

LB: João Cancelo—7.8: His first La Liga start of the season and he marked it with two absolute thunderbolts—though one was awarded as an own-goal. A touch careless in his clearance attempt that contributed to Racing's goal, but it was an impressive display overall.

DM: Rodri—7.6: His counter-pressing was as sharp as ever, but Rodri also pushed further up the pitch than usual and was unfortunate not to register his first Barça assist.

DM: Pedri—7.8: Outstanding at breaking through pressure from deep, exploiting the space Racing afforded him and manufacturing chances in abundance, including the one that resulted in Raphinha's penalty.

RW: Lamine Yamal—8.9: Missed a penalty, was denied by the post and later by the offside flag. He eventually tapped home his goal late on to complement his two assists.

AM: Dani Olmo—8.5: A masterclass from Olmo throughout, finding every available pocket of space in the final third and appearing to spend the entire game unmarked. Registered an assist and created the most chances of any player on the pitch in his finest performance of the season.

LW: Karim Adeyemi—9.1: His pace and technical quality proved far too much for Racing's defenders, who were perpetually a step behind the German. He won two penalties and contributed an assist in the standout display of his fledgling Barça career. Finishing remains an area for improvement.

ST: Raphinha—9.7: Claimed his first hat-trick of the season in yet another breathtaking attacking performance. He now leads the Pichichi standings with nine goals in six league games and has 11 in seven to open the campaign. Otherworldly.

SUB: Wojciech Szczęsny (46' for J. García)—4.9: Got himself in a tangle with the ball and handed Racing their second goal of the night in what was an embarrassing error.

SUB: Gavi (61' for Pedri)—6.7: Completed all 27 passes he attempted and was consistently involved during his cameo.

SUB: Marc Bernal (61' for Rodri)—6.3: Looked somewhat erratic, misplacing routine passes in what is becoming a recurring pattern of late.

SUB: Gabriel Jesus (69' for Raphinha)—7.0: Made the most of his time on the pitch, scoring his second goal in Barça colors with a tidy first-time finish.

SUB: Alejandro Balde (78' for Cancelo)—6.3: Received a standing ovation on his seasonal debut and should have earned an assist had Adeyemi been more composed in front of goal.

Subs not used: Dominik Livaković (GK), Xavi Espart, Pau Cubarsí, Jules Koundé, Anthony Gordon, Fermín López.

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