Still stinging after a Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain and then last weekend’s La Liga home Clasico loss against rivals Real Madrid, Hansi Flick’s side found their groove once more. Raphinha and Lamine Yamal each struck twice as Barcelona thrashed Alaves 6-1 on Saturday to reclaim their La Liga lead and get back on track after two damaging defeats. Earlier Atletico Madrid, second, earned a solid 2-0 win at Levante, but Barca moved back two points clear of the Rojiblancos by routing the Basque visitors at Camp Nou.
Teenage winger Yamal netted again midway through the second half and substitute Anthony Gordon chipped home Barca’s sixth, before Mariano Diaz pulled one back for Alaves.
Raphinha netted twice in the first half, either side of a Fermin Lopez strike, and Yamal found the net just before the interval.
Barcelona moved ahead in the eighth minute, with La Liga’s top scorer Raphinha continuing his red-hot form after Lopez teed him up. Lopez doubled Barcelona’s lead himself in the 23rd minute. Yamal slipped the midfielder in and, from a tight angle, he smashed the ball across goal and fortuitously in at the far post, seemingly intending to cross it. Karim Adeyemi and Yamal both missed glorious chances from close range to expand on Barca’s lead, with Raphinha showing the duo how to do it as he bagged his 15th league goal. Lopez sent the forward through on goal and Raphinha produced a lethal finish across Antonio Sivera.
There was a minute’s silence at the start of each of the day’s matches in memory of the 69 victims of the train crash in the province of Toledo that rocked Spain this week.
