da blaze casino： The Brazilian marked his first start since early January with the opener as the Blaugrana marched to victory
da bet nacional： Raphinha staked his claim for regular minutes in a Barcelona shirt, while the rest of the Blaugrana hummed around him as they swept to a comfortable 4-0 win over Getafe on Saturday.
The Brazilian winger, filling in for the rested Lamine Yamal, showed exactly why he could yet play a part for the Catalans both this season and beyond as he scored the opener and turned in a compelling performance.
Raphinha's goal saw him dart behind the backline and tuck the ball comfortably into the bottom corner. The Brazilian could have made it two shortly before half-time, too, but blasted over after running through on goal.
Fellow forgotten man Joao Felix made it two shortly after the break, as he finished off a well-constructed move with a side-footed finish. They added a third after an hour, Frenkie de Jong tucking the ball in after a fine piece of set-up play from Raphinha, and Fermin Lopez capped off an encouraging afternoon in stoppage-time.
In truth, this was too easy for Barca, as Getafe offered little fight. Still, if the remainder of Xavi's reign is about signs of encouragement, then this game was full of them.
GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Olympic Stadium…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (7/10):
Made one crucial stop at the end of the first half, and another in the second. Little to do, otherwise.
Jules Kounde (6/10):
Solid at the back, moved the ball well. His second straight encouraging performance.
Pau Cubarsi (8/10):
Impressive once again. Won his tackles, looked good in the air and pinged it around. Another La Masia gem?
Ronald Araujo (7/10):
A quiet afternoon as a left sided centre-back. A few nice long passes caught the eye. Kept Greenwood quiet.
Joao Cancelo (5/10):
Dangerous down the left with his usual clever runs and incisive passes. His final ball was lacking, though. Still not quite figured it out.
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Andreas Christensen (7/10):
Held it down at the base of midfield. Talllied an assist, too, striding forward to setup Felix's goal.
Frenkie de Jong (8/10):
Marauded forward more so than usual. Got on the scoresheet, too. Getafe were poor in central areas, and he capitalised well. He's always wonderful to watch.
Ilkay Gundogan (7/10):
Ventured into the final third with regularity, but missed a good chance or two. Really should have scored from a free header in the first half.
Joao Felix (6/10):
Tried to do a lot of the ball, but not much of it came off. Couldn't miss from 10 yard as he grabbed himself a goal.
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Raphinha (8/10):
Replaced Yamal, and staked his claim for regular minutes. Came close with a cheeky flick early on, took his goal well, and created chaos throughout. It wasn't all smooth; he missed a glaring chance, and overhit a pass to Felix when he should have scored himself.
Robert Lewandowski (5/10):
A few neat flicks and nice moments, but ended the game with just two touches in the opposition box.
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Fermin Lopez (7/10):
A lively cameo from the homegrown midfielder. His work-rate has been exemplary this season, and was rewarded with a late goal.
Vitor Roque (6/10):
Should have scored late on.
Oriol Romeu (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Pedri (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Hector Fort (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Xavi (8/10):
Benched Yamal, gave Raphinha a shout, and stuck with Cubarsi. It all amounted to one of Barca's better performances in recent memory. A comfortable win, with some standouts throughout the side. One of the good days…