Lamine Yamal and Raphinha both scored a brace and English winger Anthony Gordon grabbed two assists as Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 to record its 21st consecutive home victory. Rayo was looking for its first win of the season and it took an unexpected lead in the 12th minute when Sergio Camello hammered home a cutback from Alvaro Garcia on the left. Barcelona, however, bounced back almost immediately and it was 2-1 up before the first period was even halfway over.
Raphinha equalized with a well-taken goal in the 18th and Lamine Yamal put them ahead 90 seconds later with a characteristic move, cutting in from the right and unleashing a powerful left-foot shot into the roof of the net. Hansi Flick's men got a third after halftime when Florian Lejeune turned Gordon’s cutback into his own net. Although the excellent Camello cut the deficit with a solid header, Raphinha soon made it 4-2 and Yamal rounded off the scoring with a low shot from just outside the box a minute from time.
The win moved Barcelona above Real Madrid at the top of the league on goal difference. Rayo sat third from bottom. Reporting by The Associated Press.
