Barcelona Thrash Rayo Vallecano 5-2 to Maintain Perfect La Liga Start

Barcelona turned an early setback into a five-goal victory, beating Rayo Vallecano 5-2 at Camp Nou to preserve a perfect start to the 2026/27 La Liga season.

Rayo struck first in the 12th minute when Sergio Camello finished after receiving a pass from Alvaro Garcia. Barcelona responded quickly, with Raphinha equalizing in the 19th minute after taking a pass from Xavi Espart and shooting into the bottom-right corner.

Lamine Yamal put Barcelona ahead two minutes later. The winger collected Marc Bernal’s pass outside the penalty area and fired a powerful shot past the goalkeeper. Barcelona appeared to add a third before halftime through Jules Kounde, but VAR ruled that the move began offside.

Barcelona restored its two-goal advantage in the 51st minute when Rayo defender Florian Lejeune turned Anthony Gordon’s cutback into his own net. Camello scored again eight minutes later with a header from a corner, bringing Rayo back to 3-2. The visitors then had an opportunity to equalize, but Joan Garcia saved Fran Perez’s effort and Camello missed the rebound.

Raphinha scored his second goal in the 71st minute after another assist from Gordon. Yamal completed the scoring in the 90th minute, placing Karim Adeyemi’s pass into the bottom-left corner. Barcelona now lead the standings with nine points, level with Real Madrid but ahead on goal difference.