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Raphinha Hat-Trick Fires Barcelona to 7-2 Win

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Raphinha

Raphinha hat-trick inspires Barcelona to a 7-2 win over Racing as Atlético Madrid beat Osasuna 4-0 ahead of Sunday’s Madrid derby

Raphinha scored a hat-trick for Barcelona against Racing Santander at Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, as Hansi Flick’s side produced a commanding 7-2 LaLiga victory to restore their three-point lead over Real Madrid, while Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid defeated Osasuna 4-0 in Madrid.

Also read: Carabao Cup: Carrick Takes Responsibility After Brighton Loss

The result extended Barcelona’s perfect start to the LaLiga campaign and gave the Catalan club six league victories from six matches.

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Barcelona have now also won their opening seven competitive matches under Flick this season, a club record for the start of a campaign.

Raphinha was at the heart of another prolific Barcelona performance. The Brazil international scored twice from the penalty spot and added a third from open play, taking his LaLiga tally to nine goals.

João Cancelo opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a long-range strike before Raphinha converted Barcelona’s first penalty in the 25th minute.

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Racing Santander responded through Maguette Gueye, but Barcelona restored their two-goal advantage when an effort from Cancelo deflected into the visitors’ net off Asier Villalibre.

Raphinha then struck again in the 42nd minute after Dani Olmo released him into the area, giving Barcelona a 4-1 lead at half-time.

The official LaLiga match record confirms Barcelona’s four-goal first-half advantage.

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The wet conditions added an unusual element to the evening. Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García appeared to suffer a knee problem after slipping while retrieving the ball and was replaced by Wojciech Szczęsny at half-time.

Barcelona’s coach Hansi Flick later said García had “some problems” with his knee but remained hopeful that the goalkeeper would be available for the weekend.

Racing briefly threatened to make the second half uncomfortable when Yassir Zabiri capitalised on an error from Szczęsny to make it 4-2.

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Barcelona responded almost immediately.

Karim Adeyemi was brought down in the penalty area and Raphinha stepped forward to complete his hat-trick from the spot in the 67th minute.

The goal further underlined the Brazilian’s influential start to the season.

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Gabriel Jesus added Barcelona’s sixth in the 79th minute, finishing into the top corner after receiving the ball from Lamine Yamal.

Yamal then completed the scoring in the 89th minute after being set up by Adeyemi, putting the finishing touch to another emphatic Barcelona display.

Despite the seven-goal performance, Raphinha was reluctant to suggest that he had reached his best level.

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“It’s always important to think you need to improve in some way,” Raphinha told DAZN.

“So I’ll never tell you I’m at my best level, because I always try to improve as much as I can, and give more to the team than I am given.”

Flick was similarly focused on the collective performance rather than the size of the scoreline.

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“For me, the most important thing is that we are always focused, with every pass,” the Barcelona coach said. “It’s like conversation, a good conversation.”

Barcelona’s victory moved them back to 18 points, three ahead of Real Madrid after Carlo Ancelotti’s side had briefly drawn level with a 3-2 victory over Elche on Tuesday.

The result also continued an extraordinary scoring run. Barcelona have now scored 28 goals in their first six LaLiga matches, while their total across all competitions has reached 33 goals in seven matches.

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There was a different but equally encouraging story in Madrid, where Atlético Madrid produced a controlled 4-0 victory over Osasuna at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

Jonathan David opened the scoring in the 24th minute, finishing after his first attempt had been saved.

The Canada international then turned provider early in the second half, setting up Lee Kang-in to double Atlético’s advantage in the 54th minute.

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Robin Le Normand made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute before Álex Baena completed the rout 19 minutes later.

Atlético dominated the match, registering 27 shots to Osasuna’s three and 11 efforts on target compared with one from the visitors. The hosts also enjoyed 68 per cent possession.

The victory moved Atlético into third place and gave Simeone’s team a second consecutive league win, an important lift ahead of Sunday’s Madrid derby against Real Madrid.

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“We controlled it in the first half even though we weren’t clinical,” Simeone said. “We were clinical in the second half and controlled the game.”

Jonathan David’s performance was particularly timely with Julián Alvarez unavailable through injury.

His goal and assist provided Atlético with a significant attacking contribution as the club prepared for a demanding weekend fixture.

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Elsewhere, Sevilla moved into fourth place after a 1-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruña, while the scheduled meeting between Levante and Athletic Club was postponed because heavy rain left the pitch waterlogged.

The midweek results have therefore left Barcelona firmly at the summit, with Real Madrid three points behind and Atlético Madrid moving into the chasing group.

For Barcelona, the immediate story is the remarkable form of Raphinha and an attack that continues to produce goals at a striking rate.

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Also read: Carabao Cup: Carrick Takes Responsibility After Brighton Loss

For Atlético, the focus now shifts towards Sunday and a derby that will provide a much sterner test of the momentum built against Osasuna.

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Brands

Mbappe Apologises Over Mao Zedong Comment as Chinese Brands End Deals

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Mbappe Mao Zedong comment sparks backlash in China, prompting an apology from the Real Madrid star and the termination of two brand partnerships

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has apologised over an “ill-judged” comment about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong after Chinese drinks manufacturer Dongpeng Beverage and dairy producer Mengniu terminated their partnerships with the French football star.

Also read: Police Confirm Three Killed, Inspector Injured in Kebbi Violence

Mbappe, who captains France’s national team, issued the apology on his X account on Tuesday, acknowledging that his remarks had upset people in China and Chinese communities worldwide.

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“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone my words have upset,” he said.

The controversy followed the circulation of a video in which the 27-year-old footballer reacted to an internet meme featuring his face superimposed on that of a Chinese leader.

He reportedly described it as the funniest meme he had seen and referred to the figure as “some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator”, in an apparent reference to Mao.

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Dongpeng Beverage announced on Tuesday that it was ending its partnership with Mbappe, citing its opposition to comments considered offensive to Chinese national sentiment.

“Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments,” the company said.

“With immediate effect, we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe,” it added.

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Mengniu, one of China’s largest dairy producers, also announced that it was ending its partnership with the Real Madrid forward.

“With immediate effect, our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe,” the company said, adding that it maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

The announcements generated widespread discussion on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where Dongpeng’s decision to end its partnership with the footballer became a trending topic.

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Mao, who led the Chinese Communist Party and died in 1976, remains a highly sensitive historical and political figure in China.

Comments perceived as disrespectful towards him can provoke strong public reactions.

Mbappe had previously addressed memes comparing him to historical dictators in an interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe in September.

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“There’s a part of it that’s funny. You can tell that, for some people, it’s all in good fun. But there is another part that’s a bit less funny because of the damage such people have caused throughout history,” he said.

He added that being compared with individuals responsible for mass killings and widespread suffering was uncomfortable.

“Being compared to individuals who murder others, or who have brought misery to millions upon millions of people — well, I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like that in my life,” Mbappe said.

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International sports figures have previously faced commercial and public backlash in China over politically sensitive comments concerning Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong.

In 2019, a social media post by then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey expressing support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong prompted Chinese authorities and businesses to suspend NBA-related activities.

NBA games were subsequently absent from Chinese state television broadcasts for about a year.

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In 2023, former NBA player Dwight Howard also faced criticism on Chinese social media after referring to Taiwan as a country in a video featuring Taiwan’s then vice president, Lai Ching-te.

Also read: Police Confirm Three Killed, Inspector Injured in Kebbi Violence

Mbappe’s apology comes amid the fallout from the latest controversy and the decisions by Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu to end their commercial relationships with the footballer.

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