
Although an injury prevented him from displaying his best form at the World Cup, Brazilian star Raphinha is in stellar form this season.
He is currently the top scorer in La Liga with 12 goals in seven matches, alongside three assists.
Most recently, he scored a hat-trick against Sevilla to lead Barcelona to their seventh consecutive victory.
On Saturday (September 19), the Catalan giants secured a 3-1 away win at Sevilla.
After falling behind to a goal by Youssouf Fofana, Raphinha leveled the score before halftime and became the hero of the match by scoring two more goals in the second half.
Although he did not find the back of the net himself, fellow star Lamine Yamal provided assists for the team's last two goals.
In the first half, both teams fought on equal terms. However, after taking the lead at the start of the second half, Barcelona completely took control of the match.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick made four changes to the starting lineup compared to the team that triumphed 7-2 over Racing Santander.
In that previous match, starting goalkeeper Joan García was sidelined after suffering a knee injury in the first half.
Wojciech Szczęsny, who came on in the second half, made a major mistake that led to a conceded goal.
Dominik Livaković, given a chance in the starting lineup against Sevilla, made his debut for the club.
Barcelona started the match positively. They could have taken the lead in the eighth minute, but Lamine Yamal's powerful left-footed shot grazed the goalkeeper's fingertips before hitting the post. Instead, Barcelona conceded in the 19th minute.
Sevilla took the lead with their first significant opportunity of the match.
Félix Correia drove into the box from the left flank and delivered a brilliant cross, which French midfielder Fofana headed into the net from close range.
Barcelona did not take long to respond. In the 22nd minute, captain Raphinha brought the team level.
Controlling a pass from Andreas Christensen brilliantly inside the box, he eluded one defender and fired a low shot through the legs of another into the net.
Another opportunity came for Barcelona in the 44th minute, but Pedri failed to get a shot away after receiving the ball in a good position inside the box.
During added time in the first half, Barcelona was saved by Rodri’s resilience.
Correia found himself with the ball in space inside the box, but Rodri, winner of the previous World Cup's Golden Ball, dispossessed him with a brilliant tackle. The visitors took the lead in the 52nd minute.
Yamal skillfully controlled the ball inside Sevilla's box, shrugged off two markers, and delivered a wonderful cross.
Raphinha found the back of the net with a powerful header from the edge of the six-yard box.
In the 64th minute, Raphinha almost secured a hat-trick with an olimpico goal. His corner kick bounced just in front of the goalkeeper and curved onto the far post.
However, he did not have to wait much longer for his hat-trick. He achieved the milestone just four minutes later.
Collecting a through ball from Yamal, the 29-year-old forward entered the box and beat the advancing goalkeeper.
As La Liga's current top scorer, Raphinha’s tally stands at 12 goals in seven matches, with three assists.
Across all competitions this season, his total has reached 14 goals in eight matches. He also scored a hat-trick in his previous outing.
In the 77th minute, Flick substituted Raphinha for Karim Adeyemi.
The German winger could have scored late in the game, but his effort was brilliantly denied by the goalkeeper.
Having won all of their first seven matches, Barcelona sits at the top of the league table with 21 points.
Real Madrid and Real Betis occupy the second and third spots respectively, both with 15 points from six games each.




