Barcelona stage rapid comeback to beat Rayo Vallecano 3-1 at Camp Nou

Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the LaLiga season with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano, though not before enduring an early setback that briefly silenced the Camp Nou faithful.

Sergio Camello stunned the home crowd by capitalizing on a defensive lapse from Jules Koundé, who misjudged his positioning on the flank and allowed Álvaro García to reach the byline and deliver a sharp cross to the near post, which Camello converted with a tense finish into the top corner for the opening goal in the 12th minute. The strike marked the first goal Barcelona had conceded all season and came from just Rayo's second attacking move of the match.

Rapid-fire response seals turnaround

The Catalan side responded with characteristic intensity, leveling the score just seven minutes later through Raphinha, who broke free from Pathé Ciss in the penalty area and slotted home a low cross following a quick one-touch pass from Xavi Espart in the 19th minute. Before Rayo could regroup, Lamine Yamal doubled Barcelona's advantage with a stunning left-footed strike that crashed into the near top corner from inside the right side of the box, completing a remarkable two-goal turnaround in just over two minutes.

The goal held special significance for the teenage sensation, who became the youngest player from any of Europe's five major leagues to reach 50 career goals with a top-flight club since at least the 2014-15 season, achieving the milestone at just 19 years and 49 days.

Raphinha's performance continued his extraordinary run of form under Hansi Flick, as the Brazilian captain now has five goals in three league matches this season, becoming the first Barcelona player to score in each of the team's first three league fixtures since Lionel Messi in 2017-18. His four-game scoring streak in LaLiga marks a personal best for the winger with the Catalan club.

Gordon influence grows despite wait for debut goal

Summer signing Antony Gordon, who arrived from Liverpool, proved instrumental throughout despite failing to find the net himself. The English forward's relentless pressing, pace and dribbling ability caused constant problems down the left flank, with the match commentary highlighting him as "by far one of the players generating the most danger" for Rayo.

Gordon set up Barcelona's third goal early in the second half, racing down the left channel to control and deliver a cutback pass that Raphinha converted low across goal, though replays showed the ball had taken a deflection off Rayo defender Lejeune for an own goal. Jules Koundé thought he had added a fourth in first-half stoppage time after pouncing on a rebound, but VAR intervened to rule the effort offside after Gordon's initial shot.

Camello double keeps visitors in contention

Rayo refused to surrender meekly, with Camello grabbing his second of the night to reduce the deficit to 3-2. The striker took advantage of poor marking from Espart at a corner, with Unai López's delivery to the near post finding Camello unmarked to head home a cross finish past Joan García. The brace continued Camello's rich vein of form, taking his tally to seven goals in his last nine LaLiga appearances, one more than he had managed in his previous 75 league outings combined.

Substitute Randy Nteka nearly leveled proceedings late on after a three-versus-two Rayo counter-attack created an opening, though his effort was comfortably gathered by goalkeeper Joan García.

Barcelona's tactical approach showcased their balanced attacking distribution, with 31.6 percent of their offensive moves coming down the left, another 31.6 percent through the center, and 36.8 percent via the right flank. The hosts dominated possession with 73 percent of the ball and registered eight shots to Rayo's one in the opening 25 minutes.

Manager Flick made three changes to the side that defeated Athletic Club, bringing in Christensen, Koundé and Dani Olmo for Gerard Martín, Eric García and Fermín López. Rayo boss Beñat San José introduced three alterations of his own, handing a debut to summer arrival Gnangoro Bouaré in midfield while Balliu returned at right-back and Pathé Ciss operated as an emergency center-back.

The victory maintains Barcelona's perfect record alongside Real Madrid as the only teams with maximum points from three matches, having previously dispatched Elche 5-0 and Athletic 2-0. Rayo, meanwhile, remain on one point following their opening-day defeat to Sevilla and a draw with Alavés.