Barcelona may soon have to investigate whether Raphinha has secretly been issued a permanent supply of match balls. The Brazilian captain scored his second consecutive La Liga hat-trick as Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla 3–1 at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, preserving their perfect league start. With 12 league goals in seven games, Raphinha is now scoring at a rate that is making ordinary football mathematics look increasingly unemployed.
Raphinha Delivers Another Three-Goal Emergency
Sevilla struck first through Youssouf Fofana, but their advantage survived for only a few minutes before Raphinha restored Barcelona’s balance. The captain then completed his hat-trick after half-time, first heading in a Lamine Yamal delivery before combining with the teenage star again to produce the third goal. It was a perfect hat-trick, featuring a right-footed finish, a header and a left-footed finish.
The performance came only days after Raphinha had scored three against Racing in Barcelona’s previous league match. So, according to the increasingly dangerous evidence, the Barcelona captain has apparently decided that one hat-trick per match is no longer ambitious enough. He has now scored six goals across his last two league appearances, while his 12-goal haul places him at the top of the La Liga scoring chart.
Barcelona’s Winning Machine Refuses to Switch Off
Barcelona’s victory maintained their 100 per cent league record, giving Hansi Flick’s team seven wins from seven in La Liga. The result also temporarily moved them six points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, although Madrid had a game in hand before their derby against Atlético Madrid. Barcelona’s remarkable start has therefore produced the familiar football problem: opponents are still trying to catch them, while Raphinha appears to be trying to catch every available goal.
There was also plenty of help around the headline act. Lamine Yamal supplied two assists and played a major role in Raphinha’s second and third goals, while Barcelona goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made his debut for the club and produced important interventions after Sevilla threatened on the counterattack. Andreas Christensen, who helped create Raphinha’s first goal, was forced off injured in the second half.
Raphinha’s latest three-goal performance has turned Barcelona’s early-season campaign into something approaching a weekly comedy routine for rival defenders: they prepare for the Brazilian, he scores three, and everyone goes home wondering whether next weekend will involve another hat-trick. With Barcelona still perfect in La Liga and Raphinh already on 12 league goals, OGM News FC will be watching closely to discover whether the goal machine eventually runs out of fuel—or simply asks for another match ball.
