Barcelona 7 – 1 Valencia
Hans-Dieter Flick’s team finally found victory in La Liga after dropping points in four consecutive matches.
Valencia crumbled under the fiery form of Barcelona, who celebrated a goal fest to return to winning ways.
In a completely one-sided match on Sunday night, Barcelona triumphed 7-1 against Valencia.
Fermin Lopez scored twice, while Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong, and Ferran Torres each contributed a goal. An own goal by Valencia added to the tally.
Under Flick’s coaching, Barcelona reached 100 goals in just 32 matches, the second-fastest in the club’s history after Helenio Herrera’s 31-match record in 1959.
Despite four winless La Liga matches, Flick fielded a starting XI that excluded key players like Lewandowski and Pedri. Yet, their absence was hardly felt.
Barcelona took the lead just three minutes in. Lamine Yamal skillfully crossed into the box, evading two defenders, where Frenkie de Jong controlled the ball with his first touch and fired it into the net. Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili had no chance.
In the 8th minute, Ferran Torres doubled the lead with a sharp finish from Alejandro Balde’s precise cross. Out of respect for his former club, Torres refrained from celebrating, raising his hands in apology.
Valencia pushed hard after falling behind but couldn’t capitalize. Barcelona, however, extended the lead in the 14th minute with a counterattack. Yamal’s backheel found Lopez, who set up Raphinha. The Brazilian calmly rounded Mamardashvili and scored his 12th goal of the season.
By the 24th minute, Fermin Lopez made it 4-0 with a powerful shot after controlling a long pass from Pau Cubarsi. Initially flagged offside, VAR overturned the decision, confirming the young midfielder’s first goal of the season.
Despite a strong penalty claim by Valencia in the 35th minute, VAR reversed the decision, awarding Barcelona a free kick instead.
In first-half stoppage time, Lopez struck again, capitalizing on a rebound from Raphinha’s powerful shot that hit the crossbar. Barcelona went into the break with a commanding 5-0 lead, having completely neutralized Valencia’s attack.
The second half continued in a similar fashion. Valencia’s rare moment of success came in the 59th minute when Hugo Duro scored from Diego Lopez’s cross.
Barcelona responded in the 66th minute when Lewandowski, coming off the bench, netted his 17th goal of the season with a neat finish off Lopez’s pass.
Valencia had another chance to score in the 73rd minute but was denied due to an offside. In the 75th minute, a shot from Ferran Torres rebounded off Mamardashvili, only for Valencia defender Cesar Tárrega to accidentally score an own goal, making it 7-1.
Barcelona now sits third in La Liga with 42 points from 21 matches. Real Madrid leads with 49 points, while Atletico Madrid is second with 45 points. Valencia, meanwhile, languishes in 19th place with just 16 points.
