Raphinha Responds with Brace: Barça Thrashes Valencia 6-0 in LaLiga

Raphinha Responds with Brace After Being a Substitute in Barcelona’s Thrashing

Barcelona forward Raphinha responded to being benched for being late to an activation session with a brace in the resounding 6-0 victory over Valencia in LaLiga. Fermín López and Robert Lewandowski also scored two goals each, giving Barça ten points out of a possible twelve in the league this season. In addition, Marc Bernal returned to action after 383 days out due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. In the absence of Lamine Yamal due to injury, Raphinha was expected to start in Barcelona’s attack, but surprisingly he was not included in the starting eleven. Coach Hansi Flick gave the young Swedish player Roony Bardghji the opportunity. A source close to the matter revealed that Raphinha was excluded for arriving late to the pre-match activation session, following the same policy that Flick previously applied with Jules Koundé and Iñaki Peña. The source added that a misunderstanding and a slight delay were the cause of Raphinha’s tardiness, who redeemed himself by scoring two goals after replacing Bardghji at halftime.

“Only 11 players can play, so we have a few more on the team, that’s what I can say,” Flick commented with a smile in the post-match press conference, when asked about Raphinha’s absence from the starting eleven.

Hansi Flick

“He trained well this week after the international break. His attitude is fantastic, I love what I see, and his mentality too. He also wants to learn and play with the team.”

“I am happy with the performance of the entire team. From the beginning, we showed what we want to do. The intensity was present.” “We play as a team, together, for each other. The starting eleven was fantastic, but also the players who came off the bench. They increased the level of our performance.” The Barça went into halftime with a 1-0 lead, thanks to Fermín’s goal from a tight angle. The midfielder added his second goal in the 56th minute, after Raphinha scored following a cross from Marcus Rashford, completing an impressive performance after a summer in which he was linked with a possible departure.

“I never had any doubt,” Fermín said about the rumors of his possible signing for Chelsea. “There are always speculations, but I wanted to stay here and I will fight to stay here for many years. The rest is part of football.”

Fermín

Flick was satisfied with what he saw from the Spanish international, but asked for caution.

“I think we have to stay calm,” he said when asked about Fermín’s performance. “For me, today is a big step for him. This is what I want to see in every game.”

Hansi Flick

Raphinha scored the fourth goal, and then Lewandowski came off the bench to score his first two goals of the season, the second with an assist from Bernal, who had just come onto the field. Bernal’s appearance marked his return after more than a year, following an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in a league match last August. The 18-year-old received a warm ovation from the 5,862 spectators at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, where the match was played while Barça awaits the green light to return to Spotify Camp Nou.

“After this long road from the injury to return to the field, especially for him, for his family, it’s a great moment,” Flick said about Bernal’s return.

Hansi Flick

“He worked very hard last year. You can also see it in the stadium, the fans, how they celebrated it. It means a lot to this club. I am happy for him.” The Barça now focuses its attention on the Champions League. They begin their European participation this season with a complicated trip to Newcastle United, a Premier League team, on Thursday. “Last season we didn’t play in England, [against a] Premier League team,” Flick noted. “The quality there is amazing; Newcastle’s stadium is also great.” “I’ve followed them in recent years. What they are doing is really good. The coaching staff has done an incredible job. We are looking forward to playing in Newcastle.”