Lamine Yamal double fires Barcelona to 5-0 win

BARCELONA: Lamine Yamal produced another dazzling performance as Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the La Liga season with a commanding 5-0 victory over Valencia on Sunday.

The reigning Spanish champions took control from the opening minutes at Mestalla, with Yamal scoring twice while Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Pedri also found the net.

The victory moved Barcelona two points clear at the top of La Liga, after Real Madrid suffered a 1-0 defeat against Real Betis on Friday. Unbeaten Alaves moved into second after defeating Osasuna 5-2.

Yamal opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a clever lofted finish after Lopez delivered an excellent ball over the defence. The teenager later thought he had doubled the advantage, but VAR ruled the effort offside.

Barcelona continued to dominate and Lopez eventually made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute, finishing crisply after former Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon created the opportunity.

The Catalan side suffered an injury setback when Eric Garcia was forced off following a collision with teammate Rodri during the first half.

Despite the disruption, Barcelona remained firmly in control. Raphinha, operating as the central striker, tapped in his sixth goal of the campaign after being set up by Lopez.

Pedri then added Barcelona’s fourth following a neat passing move involving Dani Olmo, before Yamal completed the rout late in the match.

The 19-year-old stayed onside to receive another Olmo pass and calmly finished to claim his second goal of the afternoon.

New signing Gabriel Jesus also made his Barcelona debut during the closing stages.

For Valencia, the result extended a difficult start to the campaign, leaving them bottom of the table without a victory. For Barcelona, meanwhile, the emphatic win underlined their attacking strength and strengthened their early grip on the title race.