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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 24 | 19 | 3 | 2 | +34 | 60 |
| Barcelona | 24 | 19 | 1 | 4 | +39 | 58 |
| Villarreal | 24 | 15 | 3 | 6 | +19 | 48 |
| Atlético de Madrid | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | +17 | 45 |
| Real Betis | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | +10 | 41 |
| Espanyol | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 35 |
| Celta Vigo | 24 | 8 | 10 | 6 | +5 | 34 |
| Real Sociedad | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | -1 | 31 |
| Athletic Club | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 31 |
| Osasuna | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 30 |
| Getafe | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | -8 | 29 |
| Girona | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | -14 | 29 |
| Sevilla | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | -8 | 26 |
| Alavés | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | -9 | 26 |
| Valencia | 24 | 6 | 8 | 10 | -12 | 26 |
| Elche | 24 | 5 | 10 | 9 | -4 | 25 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | -9 | 25 |
| Mallorca | 24 | 6 | 6 | 12 | -10 | 24 |
| Levante | 24 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -15 | 18 |
| Real Oviedo | 23 | 3 | 7 | 13 | -23 | 16 |

