Barcelona Maintains Perfect Start with Raphinha's Hat-Trick

Barcelona’s perfect start rolls on. The performance that kept it alive left Rodri beaming.

Hansi Flick’s side had to come from behind against Sevilla on Saturday, but a ruthless Raphinha hat-trick flipped the game on its head and sealed a 3-1 win that keeps Barça flawless at the start of the season.

Sevilla struck first, asking serious questions of a Barcelona defence forced into an early reshuffle. The response was sharp and cold-blooded. Raphinha dragged his team back into the contest, then tore the game away from the visitors, his treble the difference on the scoreboard and in the story of the night.

In the mixed zone, Rodri made sure the spotlight didn’t stay on him for long. He pointed straight at the match-winner and two of the night’s key supporting acts.

“For me, today Rapha was outstanding, Lamine was also very good, and Adeyemi, I really liked how he came on in the second half,” the Spain international said, underlining the blend of established quality and fresh energy now running through Flick’s side.

The message from Rodri about the bigger picture was just as clear. No easing off. No comfort in an early winning streak.

“We’re not going to lose our rhythm, we’re going to keep competing. We need to keep in mind that these are important matches and come back in the best possible shape,” he insisted, sounding every bit like a leader in a team that expects to be fighting on all fronts.

There was also a nod to the defensive reshuffle forced by Andreas Christensen’s injury. Young defender Gerard Martín was thrown into the action and, in Rodri’s eyes, passed a serious test.

“Gerard Martín has been sensational. Such a shame about Christensen’s injury,” he said, pairing praise with concern on a night that mixed excitement with a reminder of how quickly plans can change.

On the touchline, Flick saw something else: the man stitching it all together in midfield. The Barcelona coach reserved some of his warmest words for Rodri himself.

“Rodri is a great player, both with and without the ball. He controls everything and gives us composure in our positional play. I think he connects well with Pedri and the center-backs. Overall, I think we can be happy with what we did,” Flick said, highlighting the calm and control that now define Barça’s engine room.

Barcelona now pause, unbeaten and unblemished, heading into the break with momentum and belief. They return on October 10th against Getafe, with one question hanging over the rest of the league: who is going to be the first to stop them?