Barcelona Thrash Valencia to Move Clear of Real Madrid

There was barely a hint of a contest at the weekend as Barcelona dominated from the opening whistle to the last and swept aside a struggling Valencia in emphatic fashion. Hansi Flick's side made the most of Real Madrid's slip-up on Friday and remain the only team in La Liga yet to drop a single point this season.
Barcelona immediately pinned Valencia back and opened the scoring after just six minutes. Lamine Yamal brilliantly timed his run to beat the offside trap before calmly lifting the ball over the goalkeeper. Moments later, another goal from the teenage sensation was ruled out by VAR for an extremely tight offside, but the Catalan side showed no signs of easing the pressure.
The second goal arrived in the 22nd minute. Anthony Gordon rolled the ball towards the edge of the penalty area, where Fermin Lopez produced a superb billiard-like finish into the bottom corner. It was the Englishman's fourth assist since making his Barcelona debut.
The second half began with another quick Barcelona strike. In the 50th minute, Lamine Yamal launched a counter-attack and found Fermin Lopez, who squared the ball across the box for Raphinha to tap into an empty net and make it 3-0.
The pace eventually dropped as Barcelona took control of the game, but the visitors still had time to add two more goals and turn a comfortable victory into a rout. In the 79th minute, Pedri exchanged a classy one-two with Dani Olmo before calmly finding the far corner.
Five minutes later, the unstoppable Lamine Yamal completed the demolition. Dani Olmo somehow kept his balance and possession under pressure before sending Yamal through one-on-one, allowing the young star to put the finishing touch on a stunning performance.
The emphatic victory sends Barcelona clear at the top of the La Liga table and opens up a gap on their closest challengers, including Real Madrid.
2026-27, Spain - La Liga
Valencia - Barcelona 0:5 (0:2)
Goals: Yamal, 6 (0:1); Fermin Fermin, 22 (0:2); Raphinha, 50 (0:3); Pedri, 79 (0:4); Yamal, 84 (0:5)
Valencia: Dimitrievski; Martinez Ar.; Maffeo (Elliott H., 54); Diakhaby M. (Cordoba I., 62); Vázquez Je. (Gaya, 54); Dieng Al.; Javi Guerra; Pepelu (Tarrega, 54); Ugrinic; Otorbi (Duro, 76); Danjuma
Substitution: Tarrega (from 54); Gaya (from 54); Elliott H. (from 54); Cordoba I. (from 62); Duro (from 76)
Bench: van Oevelen; Raba; Satō
Yellow Cards: Martinez Ar. 81
Barcelona: García Jo.; Espart; Cubarsí (Christensen A., 62); Martín G.; Garcia E. (Kounde, 29); Rodri (Bernal, 62); Fermin Fermin (Olmo, 75); Yamal; Gordon A. (Adeyemi K., 62); Raphinha; Pedri (Gabriel Jesus, 81)
Substitution: Kounde (from 29); Christensen A. (from 62); Bernal (from 62); Adeyemi K. (from 62); Olmo (from 75); Gabriel Jesus (from 81)
Bench: Szczesny; Livaković; Cancelo; Balde Al.; Gavi; Abdelkarim
Yellow Cards: Cubarsí 45; Rodri 48; Fermin Fermin 65
