FC Barcelona thrashed Valencia on matchday 4 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 (6-0) in a historic night for the Azulgrana team. In addition to playing their first official match at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, Barça also broke a new record thanks to the goals of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski in the second half.
Along with Fermín López, the three players from Hansi Flick's team scored twice on Sunday. However, the Brazilian and the Pole did so coming off the bench, setting an unprecedented record in the Spanish first division.
Never before in the history of LaLiga (95 editions) had a pair of players from the same team scored braces coming off the bench, according to data from analyst 'Míster Chip'. Rafa and 'Lewy' did so in just 41 minutes in the second half against Valencia, after starting as substitutes.
Raphinha and Lewandowski: first pair with braces coming off the bench
Both were substitutes on matchday 4 of La Liga, by technical decision. Rafa arrived late to the pre-match activation session, so Flick opted for Roony Bardghji as right winger, instead of the injured Lamine Yamal.
'Lewy', meanwhile, was a substitute for the third consecutive matchday, while Ferran Torres started again as '9'. Both the striker and the South American winger had their opportunity after the break, with the '11' being the first to enter.
Raphinha replaced Roony at halftime and only took eight minutes to score his first goal. In the 53rd minute, the Porto Alegre native took advantage of a cross from Rashford from the left to anticipate Copete and finish with a subtle touch in front of Agirrezabala, entering the small area like a 'ghost'.
Afterwards, in the 66th minute, Rafa shook the net again, this time taking advantage of a mistake between Gayà and Copete himself after a chipped pass by Fermín. The ball fell to the '11', who took the opportunity to unleash an unstoppable shot for the Basque goalkeeper.
In just 21 minutes, the Brazilian scored a pair of goals with which he reaches 3 in the tournament, one less than the current Pichichi of LaLiga, Kylian Mbappé. A couple of minutes after Rafa's second goal, Flick sent Lewandowski onto the field.
The Pole, just like Raphinha, also took 8 minutes to celebrate his first goal of the season. He did it in the 76th minute, taking advantage of a pass from Dani Olmo to control and finish with mastery in front of Agirrezabala's exit.
Ten minutes later, it was Marc Bernal who assisted the '9'. The striker's finish was again remarkable, with a lob after breaking the offside. Robert was Barça's top scorer in 24/25 with 42 goals and already has 103 with the Azulgrana shirt in 150 official matches.
The records of Fermín, Raphinha and Lewandowski against Valencia
- Fermín López: 2 goals in 90 minutes (29' and 56').
- Raphinha: 2 goals in 45 minutes (53' and 66').
- Robert Lewandowski: 2 goals in 22 minutes (76' and 86').
Barça celebrates three braces from its players for the first time since 2017
For Barcelona, the feat achieved by Raphinha, Lewandowski and Fermín already had a precedent. In April 2017, the team then led by Luis Enrique crushed Osasuna (7-1) at Camp Nou with goals from Leo Messi, Paco Alcácer and André Gómez, in addition to another from Javier Mascherano (from a penalty, his only one with the club).
'La Pulga' scored in the 12th and 61st minutes, while Paco scored his brace in the 64th and 86th minutes. Gómez, on the other hand, scored his goals in the 30th and 57th minutes. Of the three players, all three were starters that day, a notable difference compared to what happened on Sunday against Valencia.
Five of the six Culé goals fell in the second half, and only Fermín started the match as a starter. In La Liga, three players from the same team had not scored twice since Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Nacho did so against Deportivo de La Coruña in January 2018.
The match also ended 7-1 and the three 'merengues' footballers were starters at the Bernabéu. A curious detail in the three precedents, including the Barça-Valencia, is that none of the braces benefited from penalties in favor.
| Date | Match | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|
| 21/04/2017 | Barça 7-1 Osasuna |
Leo Messi (12', 61') André Gómez (30', 57') Paco Alcácer (64', 86') |
| 14/09/2025 | Barça 6-0 Valencia |
Fermín López (29', 56') Raphinha (53', 66') Robert Lewandowski (76', 86') |