Barcelona v Valencia
Raphinha scores again as Barcelona cruise to 7-1 win
Barcelona snapped their four-match winless streak in LaLiga with an emphatic 7-1 victory over Valencia on Sunday, with Fermín López scoring an impressive double and adding two assists.
Hansi Flick's side sits third in the standings with 42 points, three behind second-placed Atletico Madrid and seven adrift of leaders Real Madrid.
Relegation-threatened Valencia are 19th with 16 points after their first defeat in five matches in all competitions.
Frenkie de Jong opened the scoring after three minutes with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box that found the bottom left corner after Lamine Yamal's precise cross.
The Dutch midfielder continued to impress and played a key role in Barca doubling the lead. His pass allowed Alejandro Balde to set up Ferran Torres, who steered the ball into the net.
Raphinha added a third before the 15-minute mark, taking advantage of a mistake by Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Valencia goalkeeper was caught in no-man's land as he raced out to close down the Brazilian, who calmly slid the ball into the empty net.
Lopez put the icing on the cake in a frenetic first half, adding a fourth on 24 minutes and a fifth before the break with a powerful long-range shot from the right.
"We were coming from a bad dynamic in LaLiga and we needed this win. I needed a game like this. I've had a lot of injuries and it was important to gain confidence," Lopez told DAZN.
Hugo Duro grabbed a consolation for Valencia after the break with a shot from close range.
But Barcelona continued to dominate and substitute Robert Lewandowski added a sixth before an unfortunate own goal from César Tárrega wrapped up the scoring for the Catalans.
Barcelona, who came into the game on the back of an impressive 5-4 win at Benfica that earned them a spot in the Champions League's knockout round, face Atalanta in their final league-phase match of Europe's top-tier club competition on Wednesday.
Game Information
- Referees:
- César Soto Grado
Spanish LALIGA Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 29 | 24 | 1 | 4 | +50 | 73 |
| Real Madrid | 29 | 22 | 3 | 4 | +37 | 69 |
| Villarreal | 29 | 18 | 4 | 7 | +20 | 58 |
| Atlético de Madrid | 29 | 17 | 6 | 6 | +21 | 57 |
| Real Betis | 29 | 11 | 11 | 7 | +7 | 44 |
| Celta Vigo | 29 | 10 | 11 | 8 | +6 | 41 |
| Real Sociedad | 29 | 10 | 8 | 11 | -1 | 38 |
| Getafe | 29 | 11 | 5 | 13 | -6 | 38 |
| Athletic Club | 29 | 11 | 5 | 13 | -9 | 38 |
| Osasuna | 29 | 10 | 7 | 12 | -1 | 37 |
| Espanyol | 29 | 10 | 7 | 12 | -8 | 37 |
| Valencia | 29 | 9 | 8 | 12 | -10 | 35 |
| Girona | 29 | 8 | 10 | 11 | -13 | 34 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 29 | 7 | 11 | 11 | -7 | 32 |
| Sevilla | 29 | 8 | 7 | 14 | -12 | 31 |
| Alavés | 29 | 8 | 7 | 14 | -11 | 31 |
| Elche | 29 | 6 | 11 | 12 | -8 | 29 |
| Mallorca | 29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | -13 | 28 |
| Levante | 29 | 6 | 8 | 15 | -14 | 26 |
| Real Oviedo | 29 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -28 | 21 |

