Lamine Yamal made a spectacular start to his 2026-27 scoring campaign, netting twice in Barcelona’s emphatic 5-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano.
Match Report
Yamal had failed to find the net in Barcelona’s opening two LaLiga matches, but the 19-year-old star ended that drought in spectacular fashion on Monday with two outstanding goals.
Barcelona, however, were forced to work for the victory at Camp Nou, with Raphinha also scoring twice in an entertaining encounter.
Rayo Vallecano, who secured an impressive eighth-place finish last season but remain without a win this term, stunned the hosts by taking the lead in the 12th minute. Sergio Camello produced an excellent finish from Alvaro Garcia’s cutback.
Barcelona responded seven minutes later when Raphinha used clever footwork to beat his marker before firing past the goalkeeper to restore parity.
Yamal then showcased his quality, cutting inside before unleashing a trademark left-footed effort from outside the box into the top-right corner.
Joules Kounde thought he had added another, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Barcelona eventually extended their advantage early in the second half when Florian Lejeune inadvertently turned the ball into his own goal.
Rayo refused to give up and pulled one back through Camello, who headed home from Unai Lopez’s corner for his second of the night.
Barcelona quickly regained control, with Anthony Gordon’s clever backheel setting up Raphinha, who sent a low shot across goalkeeper Dani Cardenas and into the net.
Yamal completed the scoring late in the game, firing another impressive long-range effort into the corner to put the finishing touch on a dominant display.
Yamal Makes More History
It was a relatively quiet beginning to the season by Yamal’s remarkable standards, but the teenager delivered a performance that further underlined his growing status.
His first goal of the night was particularly significant, as it brought up his 50th goal for Barcelona. At 19 years and 49 days, Yamal became the youngest player from any club in Europe’s five major leagues to reach that milestone.
The forward led the match with six shots and recorded 16 touches inside the opposition penalty area, seven more than any other player. Anthony Gordon was second with nine.
Yamal also created seven chances, completed seven of his 11 attempted dribbles and won 11 of his 18 duels as he caused Rayo constant problems.
Raphinha is also making an impressive early statement after an injury-disrupted 2025-26 season. The Brazilian has become the first player to score five goals in his team’s opening three LaLiga games since Barcelona legend Lionel Messi achieved the feat in 2017-18.
Hansi Flick’s side registered 26 shots and produced 2.83 expected goals during the match. With 12 goals already scored this season, Barcelona’s attacking threat is beginning to look formidable.