“Neymar was never this good for us”, “The best player in La Liga” - Fans salute 27-year-old Barcelona star after 7-0 win against Valladolid
Barcelona fans have hailed Raphinha on X after he scored a brilliant hat-trick in their 7-0 win against Real Valladolid. The two sides locked horns in their LaLiga clash at the Olimpic Lluis Companys Stadium on Saturday, August 31.
Raphinha gave the Blaugrana the lead in the 20th minute with a close-range finish before Robert Lewandowski doubled their advantage four minutes later. Jules Kounde netted in the second minute of stoppage time to make it 3-0 going into the break.
Raphinha took full advantage of a collision inside Valladolid's box, tapping home in the 64th minute. The Brazilian completed his hat-trick eight minutes later with a good finish following a brilliant run and assist by Lamine Yamal. Dani Olmo (82') and Ferran Torres (85') were also on target as Barcelona secured a dominant 7-0 win.
Raphinha received a match rating of 9.8 by FotMob for his performance. The 27-year-old was simply unstoppable as he scored three goals, provided an assist, and created three chances. He also landed all five of his shots on target and had a combined xG + xA of 2.32.
One Barcelona fan reckons Neymar was never as good as Raphinha:
"Neymar was never this good for us"
Another fan tweeted:
"Raphinha is currently the Best Player in La Liga charley. Currently the best Brazilian footballer. And just look at that Pass from Cubarsi… Free SHS Maldini is too clear"
Check out other fan reactions below:
"Give him the ballon d’or," one fan commented
"Flick created a beast under him," one fan claimed
"I am sorry for ever doubting you. Flick has taken him to another level," another added
"Raphinha is arguably the most underrated footballer in the world," one fan tweeted
"Get In here Raphinha my boy!!! Our best player so far this season," another chimed in
"Seems like it was 4 g/a from Raphinha, nonetheless an insane performance. I'm proud of him," one fan posted
"Raphinha > Mbappe," another commented
"Naa, Raphinha the best player in this league," another chimed in
How did Barcelona fare in their 7-0 win against Valladolid?
Barcelona were exceptional under new boss Hansi Flick as they thrashed Valladolid 7-0 in their LaLiga fixture on Saturday. They remain at the top of the league standings with 12 points from four fixtures and have been flawless this season.
The Blaugrana dominated possession with 70 percent of the ball completing 545 passes with an accuracy of 92 percent. In contrast, the visitors had 30 percent possession, completing 197 passes with an accuracy of 80 percent.
Barcelona were a force to be reckoned with in attack, landing 23 shots in total with 11 being on target. They had 10 big chances, hitting the woodwork thrice with an xG of 3.84. In comparison, Valladolid mustered four shots with one being on target, garnering an xG of just 0.43.