FC Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the La Liga season, hammering Racing Santander 7-2 at Camp Nou on 17 September to remain top of the table with six wins from six and an extraordinary 28 goals in the opening six matches. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, warmed up for the capital derby with a commanding 4-0 victory over Osasuna at the Metropolitano.

Barcelona's Seven-Goal Masterclass

Joao Cancelo and Raphinha were the architects of Barcelona's rout. Cancelo broke the deadlock with a fine strike before Raphinha doubled the lead from the penalty spot, putting the hosts in command early. Newly promoted Racing Santander — who made eight changes from the side that beat Alaves the previous weekend — briefly threatened through Maguette Gueye, who pulled one back after an assist from Asier Villalibre.

But Barcelona immediately reasserted control. Cancelo added his second from distance in the 36th minute, with the ball deflecting off Villalibre, before Raphinha restored the four-goal cushion. Racing goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala did deny Lamine Yamal a penalty before half-time to offer the visitors a sliver of consolation heading into the break.

Second Half Surge

Wojciech Szczesny took over in goal for Barcelona at the start of the second half. Racing's Yassir Zabiri trimmed the deficit with his sixth goal of the season in the 65th minute, but the response was immediate — Raphinha completed his hat-trick from the spot just two minutes later to restore a three-goal lead.

Gabriel Jesus then curled in a stunning finish to make it 6-2, and Lamine Yamal capped the evening with a seventh in the 89th minute. The result extends Barcelona's lead at the summit and underlines their early-season dominance in La Liga 2025-26.

Atletico Madrid Ready for Derby

Atletico's 4-0 demolition of Osasuna sets up Sunday's much-anticipated Madrid derby against Real Madrid in commanding fashion. Jonathan David opened the scoring in the 24th minute — his second goal in as many games — before Lee Kang-in doubled the advantage in the 54th minute with a clinical angled drive.

Robin Le Normand headed home from a corner to make it 3-0, and Alex Baena rounded off the scoring after a slick pass from Johnny Cardoso. The victory keeps Atletico firmly in contention near the top of the table ahead of the capital showdown.

Other Results and Fixtures

Sevilla continued their fine early-season form with a 1-0 away win against Deportivo La Coruna, where Miguel Sierra capitalised on a goalkeeping error to score in the 52nd minute. Deportivo were further hampered when left-back Angelino was sent off in the 60th minute for a reckless challenge, leaving them to play out the final half-hour with ten men.

Wednesday's scheduled fixture between Levante and Athletic Bilbao at Ciudad de Valencia Stadium was postponed before kick-off due to a thunderstorm. Thursday's programme sees Betis take on Getafe and Malaga host Villarreal. With Barcelona showing no signs of slowing down and Atletico building momentum ahead of the derby, the La Liga title race promises to intensify rapidly in the coming weeks.