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Fans are impressed with Barcelona winger Raphinha's performance in their La Liga clash against Villarreal on September 22. The Brazilian scored a brace in the match, which ended in a 5-1 win for the Blaugrana at El Madrigal.
The Catalan club opened their scoring with Robert Lewandowski's right-footed shot after being set up with a through ball by Pablo Torre in the 20th minute. The Polish icon struck again from very close range, following a corner in the 35th minute.
Ayoze Pérez netted the first and only goal through an assist by Nicolas Pépé for Villarreal in the 38th minute of the match. Barcelona shot-stopper Marc-André ter Stegen suffered an injury and had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher in the concluding minutes of the first half.
Pablo Torre found the back of the net with a left-footed shot through an assist by Pedri in the 58th minute. Raphinha netted the fourth goal for the Blaugrana through an assist by Pau Víctor in the 75th minute. The 27-year-old scored his second goal of the match through an assist by Lamine Yamal just eight minutes after his first one.
Following the victory against Villarreal, Raphinha has now recorded five goals and three assists in six appearances for Barcelona so far this season.
Fans flooded social media with posts sharing their opinions on Raphinha's performance for Barcelona. While some fans hailed the Brazilian star, some believed that he should be made the first-choice captain of the squad.
Here are some of their reactions on X:
One fan wrote:
"Raphinha should be the first captain of the team"
Another added:
"Raphinha is an actual leader & Captain material, you can see it in both his actions & performances, leaves everything on the pitch, works his socks off, G/A magnet, unlimited work rate & always supports his teammates. Every team would be delighted to have a player like him."
"Raphinha really deserves this goal, one of the hardest working players on the pitch today. Captain 💪," chimed in another fan.
"All it takes is the right manager to get the best out of a player. Hansi Flick has changed Raphinha life."
"There are a lot more collective intentions to Raphinha’s play this season. Deeper integration. A change in role, space, and him feeling more important under a new coach, can do that to a player." tweeted another.
"Bro is finally coming into form."
"Never deny Raphinha. 🇧🇷 Best Brazilian in La Liga."
"This should no longer be an unpopular opinion Raphinha is the best Brazilian in the world," wrote another.
While another wrote:
"Raphinha’s out here proving why he’s one of the best in the league right now. If he keeps this up, defenders are going to need a whole new playbook just to keep up with him. Unreal form! 💥👀"
Raphinha had five shots on target along with a passing accuracy of 79% in Barcelona's win against Villarreal. He joined the Catalan side in 2022 and has recorded 25 goals and 28 assists in 94 appearances across club competitions.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick weighs in on 5-1 victory against Villarreal in the La Liga
Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick shared his thoughts after his squad bagged a 5-1 win against Villarreal in the La Liga. The German manager was happy with his players' performance, praising the balance they struck on the pitch.
He told the reporters:
"I am very proud of the way the team played and the role of my players. That fans have enjoyed a fantastic, dynamic match. I'm happy because the team was compact at all time, in attack and in defence."
"We were intense during the 90 minutes and I love that attitude. We were focused at all time but we also enjoyed playing some good football," he added.
Hansi Flick also addressed goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen's injury in the match, saying:
"He is a very important player for us and I'm sad, it was accidental."
With this victory, Flick's squad has now won all six La Liga fixtures of the season, standing first in the league table with 18 points.
