Raphinha hits hat-trick as Barcelona crush Racing Santander 7-2 in LaLiga

Barcelona turned Wednesday's league fixture into an attacking exhibition, beating Racing Santander 7-2 at Camp Nou. Raphinha scored a hat-trick, João Cancelo, Gabriel Jesus and Lamine Yamal joined the scoring spree, and Hansi Flick's side reached a historic mark: no other Barcelona coach had ever won the first seven competitive matches of a season.

• Raphinha netted three goals, two of them from the penalty spot, and now has nine in LaLiga.
• Cancelo, Gabriel Jesus and Lamine Yamal completed the scoring as Barcelona reached 33 goals in seven competitive games.
• Hansi Flick became the first manager in club history to open a campaign with seven straight competitive wins.
• Atlético Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 to move into third place, five points behind Barcelona, ahead of the Madrid derby.

Cancelo sets the tone with an early thunderbolt

With lightning flashing over Barcelona, the home side started at a furious pace and struck early. Cancelo opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a long-range effort that crashed in off the crossbar. Dani Olmo came close twice before Raphinha doubled the lead from the spot after Pedro Felipe brought him down clumsily inside the box.

Racing Santander did not back down and hit back through Maguette Gueye, who barged his way through the defence and beat Joan García with a neat finish. The respite was brief. Cancelo tried again from distance and his shot, deflected off Asier Villalibre, ended up in the net to restore Barcelona's cushion.

Raphinha thrives through the middle and powers Barcelona's rout

The Brazilian, growing increasingly comfortable as a central striker, made it 4-0 after being played in on goal by Dani Olmo. Before the break, Barcelona had a chance to extend the lead even further when Karim Adeyemi won a penalty, but Julen Agirrezabala saved Lamine Yamal's effort. The moment summed up a frustrating night for the young winger, who also hit the post and had a goal ruled out for offside.

Raphinha took full advantage of his purple patch to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the second half, following another foul on Adeyemi in the box. His ninth league goal keeps him firmly ahead as the competition's top scorer.

Goalkeeper change, a costly slip and two late goals

Backup goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny replaced Joan García at half-time after the Spain international appeared to hurt himself while slipping as he went to collect the ball. The substitute's first involvement was not one to remember: a failed attempt to dribble out allowed Yassir Zabiri to tackle him and score Racing Santander's second.

Barcelona's response was immediate and left the visitors with no way back. Gabriel Jesus came on for Raphinha and produced a sharp finish into the top corner after Lamine Yamal set him up for the sixth. The academy product finally got his goal by converting after Adeyemi raced down the left and laid the ball across for Barcelona's seventh and final strike, giving the winger a deserved reward after his earlier near misses.

What the victory means for Barcelona's LaLiga title push

The rout does more than underline the attacking form of Flick's team; it also has a direct impact on the table. Barcelona now hold a three-point cushion over Real Madrid at the summit and are setting a relentless pace, with 33 goals in their seven competitive outings. The Catalan side's firepower has been the story of the early season.

Atlético Madrid sweep past Osasuna before the derby

Ahead of Saturday's derby against Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid made light work of Osasuna with a 4-0 win at the Metropolitano. Jonathan David, Lee Kang-in, Robin Le Normand and Alex Baena found the net in a one-sided contest that lifted Diego Simeone's side into third place, five points behind Barcelona. The team heads into the city showdown in confident mood.