Sports
Barcelona beats Racing Santander 7–2; Szczęsny backed after error, Garcia injured
September 17, 2026 at 08:25 AM · Updated 29d ago
Coverage
12 reports · over 12 hours
Barcelona defeated Racing Santander 7–2 in La Liga, extending their perfect start to the season with a seventh straight win in all competitions.
- Goalkeeper Joan Garcia left the pitch between halves after slipping on the rain-soaked turf, with Wojciech Szczęsny brought on as his replacement.
- Szczęsny's 65th-minute error let Racing's Yasser Zuberi score, and coach Hansi Flick said the keeper remains second-choice and will perform better next time.
- The result preserved Barcelona's unbeaten opening run of seven wins across all competitions, the best start in the club's history.
- Flick praised the team's overall performance, highlighted Karim Adeyemi's impact, and stressed the need for focus on the upcoming match.
- Barcelona's seven-goal haul was a fourth such match under Hansi Flick, after 7-0 vs Valladolid, 7-1 vs Valencia, and 7-2 vs Newcastle in the Champions League.
- Barcelona have scored 28 goals in their first six La Liga games, an average of more than four per match.
- Karim Adeyemi, who did not score, won two penalties and provided an assist, and his acrobatic effort drew applause during the match.
- Barcelona received reassuring news on Joan Garcia's knee injury, with his half-time substitution deemed precautionary after the slip and no serious issue feared, ahead of tests for the Sevilla match.
- Raphinha scored a hat-trick, taking his La Liga tally to nine goals in six matches, equaling Barcelona's best scoring start since Lionel Messi in 2017-18.
- Barcelona will be without goalkeeper Joan Garcia for Saturday's La Liga match against Sevilla after a minor right knee injury, with his return date uncertain.











