Raphinha experienced another stellar night in Montjuïc on Tuesday in FC Barcelona's rout of Young Boys (5-0). Hansi Flick's men did not have too many problems defeating a weak Swiss team that, in addition to being penultimate in their league, is already bottom in the general standings of the UEFA Champions League. For the Brazilian, the day was very productive in the first half, with a goal and assist to lead the culé to victory.
The '11' once again wore the captain's armband and was positioned as a playmaker, with Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres thrown to the sides. The man from Porto Alegre formed a very effective tandem with Lamine on the right and, in the 8th minute, he assisted Robert Lewandowski so that the Pole opened the scoring, culminating a great Barça collective action. Rapha wanted to shoot across the goal, but he got an ideal pass so that the '9' only had to push the ball towards the goal.
After half an hour of the match, in the 34th minute, the Brazilian striker extended the lead for Barça. Pedri González took a powerful shot inside the area rejected by Lauper with a header, but the rebound fell to Raphinha who wasted no time in shooting goalkeeper Keller with a relentless left foot. In 90 minutes, the South American footballer was the one who created the most opportunities (5), in addition to attempting up to 6 shots (only 1 went directly on goal). Individually he won 4 of 7 duels and completed 45 and 58 passes (78%).
Raphinha reveals the key to his offensive improvement
With his contribution against Young Boys, the '11' already has 6 goals and 4 assists in 9 games in all competitions, more than half of the goals he scored in all of 2023/24. After the match, the South American player revealed in 'Movistar' how he has managed to improve his performance with a tactical adjustment. "What has changed the most in me is the position in which I played on the field. The last two seasons I played more on the right, some games last season on the left. What has really changed me was the position, because I have always had the desire to play well and help the team," he explained.
Regarding the Barça victory, the Brazilian valued the team's ability to react after the setback against Monaco and the first defeat in the League against Osasuna. "We always have to run, no matter the result, whether we are winning or losing, the most important thing is to give everything for the team. At the end of the eight games, the more goals we have, will be very important," Rapha pointed out.