Barcelona Dominates Valencia with a 6-0 Victory in La Liga

Barcelona Thrashes Valencia 6-0 with Raphinha, Lewandowski, and López Doubles

Madrid, Sep 15 (AP) – In an impressive display at their training facility, Barcelona crushed Valencia with a 6-0 victory in the Spanish league, featuring two goals each from Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Fermín López.

The match took place at the 6,000-seat Estadi Johan Cruyff as Barcelona awaits the necessary permits to return to their iconic Camp Nou stadium. Despite the absence of the injured Lamine Yamal, Barcelona secured their third win out of four matches, closing the gap to two points behind league leaders Real Madrid. Real Madrid achieved a narrow 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad the previous Saturday.

The Estadi Johan Cruyff, typically used by the women's team and youth squads, became Barcelona's home ground due to ongoing renovations at the Camp Nou, which will seat nearly 100,000 upon completion. Barcelona spent the last two seasons at the Olympic Stadium during this upgrade period.

Barcelona started strong against Valencia, with Fermín López scoring in the 29th and 56th minutes. Raphinha added goals in the 53rd and 66th minutes, while Lewandowski sealed the triumph, scoring in the 76th and 86th minutes. Notably, Raphinha and Lewandowski scored their goals as substitutes. Unconfirmed reports suggested Raphinha's benching was due to late arrival, though coach Hansi Flick cited it as a technical decision following international duty with Brazil.

Lewandowski's goals marked his first in the league this season, celebrating his 150th appearance for the club. Barcelona midfielder Marc Casadó noted, "We were in control from the start. We knew what we had to do to get the victory.” Valencia, positioned near the league's bottom with two defeats, managed only two attempts, with just one on target. Barcelona has outscored Valencia 18-1 in their last three encounters.

Elsewhere in the Spanish League

Real Betis staged a comeback to draw 2-2 against Levante, who initially led by two goals in the opening ten minutes. Osasuna achieved their second win by overcoming Rayo Vallecano 2-0. Meanwhile, Celta Vigo secured a 1-1 draw with Girona at home, thanks to Borja Iglesias converting a stoppage-time penalty.

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