Rain swept across Barcelona, but 50,568 supporters still filled the Spotify Camp Nou to watch Barcelona dismantle Racing Santander 6-2. João Cancelo struck twice from distance, Raphinha completed a hat-trick and Gabriel Jesus added a late sixth as Hansi Flick’s leaders continued their perfect start.
Barcelona 6-2 Racing Santander: Six goals in a wet Camp Nou evening
SEO Title: Barcelona 6-2 Racing Santander: Raphinha hat-trick and Cancelo double
SEO Description: Barcelona defeated Racing Santander 6-2 at the Spotify Camp Nou, with Raphinha scoring three times, João Cancelo hitting two spectacular goals and Gabriel Jesus finishing the rout.
Cancelo and Raphinha set the pace
Barcelona made four alterations from their win at Levante, bringing Christensen, Cancelo, Dani Olmo and Karim Adeyemi into Flick’s starting side. Racing, returning to the Camp Nou for the first time in 15 years, made eight changes from the team that beat Alavés, with goalkeeper Agirrezabala, Prati and Canales the only survivors.
The home side established control immediately. Cancelo opened the scoring in the eighth minute, his right-footed effort crashing off the crossbar before flying into the top corner. LaLiga registered the strike at 128.6 km/h from 26.5 metres.
Raphinha doubled the advantage from the penalty spot on 25 minutes after Pedro stepped on him following a Pedri pass. The Brazilian’s seventh league goal drew him level with Kylian Mbappé in the scoring race.
Racing found a response five minutes later. Aarón supplied Maguette, who beat Cancelo in the duel and finished delicately beyond Joan García in the visitors’ first serious attack.
Cancelo restored the two-goal margin in spectacular fashion in the 36th minute. His shot from around 35 metres took a slight touch from Villalibre and powered past Agirrezabala. Raphinha then made it 4-1 before the interval, arriving onto a fine Dani Olmo pass after Rodri’s recovery and Adeyemi’s involvement.
- Cancelo scored in the 8th and 36th minutes.
- Raphinha converted a 25th-minute penalty and added a 42nd-minute finish.
- Maguette scored Racing’s first goal on 30 minutes.
- Lamine Yamal had a penalty saved by Agirrezabala in first-half added time after Adeyemi was brought down by Pedro.
Lamine had earlier created openings for Olmo, while Adeyemi narrowly missed with a chipped attempt after getting beyond Manu Hernando. Olmo also went close after a Lamine through-ball, and Raphinha saw another effort blocked or crowded out as Barcelona repeatedly attacked a Racing side under pressure.
A brief Racing revival, then Barcelona’s final surge
Joan García did not return after the break. The Barcelona goalkeeper had slipped late in the first half and felt discomfort, prompting Szczesny’s introduction. Christensen also required treatment after an aerial challenge with Arana but continued.
The second half remained open. Arana missed a close-range opportunity for Racing in the 51st minute, before Lamine struck the post with a curling effort at the other end. Pedro later left injured as Racing made a triple substitution, introducing Yassir Zabiri, Iker Luque and Iñigo Vicente.
Zabiri, Racing’s early-season league revelation with five goals before this match, made an immediate impact. In the 65th minute he profited from a major error by Szczesny to reduce the deficit to 4-2.
Barcelona’s answer came almost at once. Iker Luque brought down Adeyemi in the area and Raphinha dispatched the 67th-minute penalty to complete his hat-trick. The Brazilian had received the league’s August Player of the Month award before kick-off and left the field to a strong ovation shortly afterwards.
- Barcelona replaced Pedri and Rodri with Bernal and Gavi on 61 minutes.
- Raphinha made way for Gabriel Jesus in the 69th minute.
- Cancelo, booked for a foul on Iker Luque, was replaced by Balde on 78 minutes for the defender’s first appearance of the season.
- Racing sent on Guliashvili for Iñigo Sáinz in the 78th minute.
Lamine had a sharp first-post finish ruled out for offside on 72 minutes, then saw a free-kick blocked by the wall after Aarón fouled him on the edge of the area. Gabriel Jesus delivered the final flourish in the 79th minute, meeting Lamine’s pass first time and curling beyond Agirrezabala. It was the Brazilian’s second goal after also scoring against Feyenoord.
The cautions went to Pedro, Lamine, Adeyemi, Zabiri and Cancelo. Zabiri was booked after catching Gerard Martín with an elbow during an aerial contest.
Flick’s rotation and Racing’s bold intention
Before the match, Flick said Barcelona were progressing well but could still improve. “A perfect game does not exist; there is always something to correct,” he said. The coach explained that Rodri had been selected for his experience and comfort on the ball, while Adeyemi’s pace and threat near goal had earned him a start.
Flick also said that managing minutes early in the season was important, noting that Cubarsí had played heavily and was rested. He described captain Raphinha as a player who consistently drives forward and offers an example to the squad.
José Alberto López had promised that Racing would not abandon their identity in Barcelona. The visiting coach said his team would try to be brave, retain a recognisable approach when in possession and defend as high as possible when conditions allowed. He accepted that Barcelona might force his side deeper at times, but insisted he preferred courage to passive football.
The teams were led out after a downpour eased, with Raphinha and Racing captain Iñigo Sáinz greeting each other before kick-off. Carles Naval, Barcelona’s long-serving delegate, was also recognised with a commemorative plaque for 40 years of service to the club.
Selections, officials and the wider Camp Nou occasion
Barcelona had arrived with six successive wins across league and Champions League competition, matching the club’s best opening sequence from 1929-30, 1960-61 and 2018-19. The victory over Racing carried that run further.
The clubs had not met in the top division since Racing’s 2011-12 relegation, although Barcelona won 2-0 at El Sardinero in last season’s Copa del Rey round of 16, with Ferran and Lamine on the scoresheet. A possible meeting between Lamine and Racing left-back Jorge Salinas did not materialise from the start, as Salinas was named among the substitutes.
Starting line-ups
- Barcelona: Joan García; Eric García, Christensen, Gerard Martín, Cancelo; Pedri, Rodri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Adeyemi; Raphinha.
- Racing Santander: Agirrezabala; Manu Hernando, Pedro, Faci, Aarón; Maguette; Prati, Iñigo Sáinz, Canales; Arana; Villalibre.
Substitutes available
- Barcelona: Szczesny, Livakovic, Koundé, Balde, Cubarsí, Espart, Bernal, Gavi, Fermín, Gordon, Gabriel Jesus and Hamza.
- Racing Santander: Laro, Mantilla, Pablo Ramón, Guliashvili, Vicente, Pablo, Salinas, Iker Luque, Zabiri, Iván Martín and Belocian.
José Luis Munuera Montero officiated the match, with Carlos del Cerro Grande assigned to VAR duties. Barcelona’s squad otherwise matched the group that travelled to Levante, with academy player Brian Fariñas omitted by technical decision.
Before the match, Barcelona president Joan Laporta reiterated his wish for the 2030 World Cup final to be staged at the rebuilt Spotify Camp Nou, citing its planned 105,000 capacity and arguing that Spain should host the final. He also said Barcelona defended freedom of expression and that individuals and institutions should decide for themselves how to act regarding support for Ceuta.
