Raphinha and Lamine Yamal both scored twice as Barcelona breezed back to the top of LaLiga with a 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Nou Camp.

Winless Rayo gave the hosts a mighty scare when Sergio Camello fired them in front after 12 minutes, but Raphinha soon levelled and Yamal put Barça in front with 21 minutes on the clock.

Hansi Flick's side has now scored 12 goals in its first three games of the season.

"Most important is the three points. We have a good start this season, it's what we want," Flick said after the match. "In the first half we played really good, I liked a lot what I saw. In the second half, the opponent was strong, they pressed good, scored, it was we (who) struggled a little bit. The reaction after the first and second goal of Rayo was good.

"Of course we have to improve in some moments, control the game, because our style is also you recover a bit with the ball. It's always easier to recover with the ball. At the end we have to improve these moments a little bit.

The sublime strike by Spain World Cup winner Yamal to restore Barcelona's lead in the first half was his first goal of the 2026-27 campaign and there was more to come.

"He always wants to improve and he can. For me I am very happy with him," Flick said of Yamal. "Today when he's doing what he's doing, how he's playing football, it's amazing to see. For me he's on an incredible level."

Florian Lejeune's own goal extended the home side's lead early in the second half, and after Camello scored his second, further goals from Raphinha and Yamal preserved their 100 percent start to the campaign.

Getty Images

---

Rayo arrived at the Nou Camp without a win in their first two games but they took the game to their illustrious opponents and Camello silenced the home fans when he fired in his early opener after a neat pull-back by Álvaro García.

It was Barcelona's first goal they had conceded this season, but they roused themselves immediately.

Raphinha drove a shot straight at Rayo goalkeeper Dani Cardenas and Yamal also went close, before the former broke into the box and shot into the bottom corner with 19 minutes gone.

Two minutes later it was Yamal's turn to score and complete the turnaround in Barcelona's favour, as he cut into the box and rammed his first goal of the season past Cardenas and into the top corner.

England winger Anthony Gordon was once again proving lively for the hosts and he fired straight at Cardenas, who also had to tip over an effort from Marc Bernal as Barcelona pressed.

"Yes of course [Gordon] had a lot of speed, he was very clear with the ball," Flick said. "Two passes for a goal. For us, it's to have him, also with Karim, with Rapha, Lamine, we have speed in these positions. This is good, I am happy with them."

The increasingly inevitable third arrived in unfortunate fashion for the visitors six minutes into the second half when Lejeune steered the ball into his own net, while Barcelona's Jules Koundé also had an effort ruled out for offside.

But plucky Rayo were far from done and they gave Barcelona more to think about just before the hour mark when Camello flicked home from a Unai López corner to narrow the deficit.

Gordon remained a major threat for the hosts and after a number of missed chances, including a Fermín López effort that was blocked in the box, the former Newcastle player created Barça's fourth with a neat backheel to Raphinha, who stroked home his side's fourth goal.

"Of course I expect this. He is a fantastic player, a world class player," Flick said when asked about Raphinha playing as a No. 9. "Also the captain situation is something very positive for him also. At the moment he shows exactly what we need from him."

The visitors kept battling until the end but it was Barça, who completed an ultimately comfortable win when Yamal grabbed his second in the last minute after firing home from Karim Adeyemi's layoff.

Information from PA was used in this recap.