Raphinha has hit the ground running following his summer transfer from Leeds to Barcelona, with the Brazilian forward scoring a Clasico thunderbolt against Real Madrid in his latest outing for the Blaugrana. That spectacular strike came in a pre-season friendly contest in Las Vegas, with the South American ensuring that Xavi’s side hit the jackpot.
His stunning effort versus the reigning La Liga champions proved to be decisive in a 1-0 win, with Barca warming up for the 2022-23 campaign in style with a notable victory over their fiercest rivals.
Watch Raphinha thunderbolt in Las Vegas Clasico
Real rather shot themselves in the foot when attempting to play out from the back against Barca, with a high press forcing them into a hurried pass that fell nicely to the feet of Raphinha.
Despite being 20 yards from goal, he required just one cushioned touch to set himself before drilling a stunning effort into the top corner as Thibaut Courtois was left grasping at fresh air.
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While Raphinha’s 27th-minute strike proved to be the difference, Barca did create a number of other opportunities – with Courtois in fine form between the sticks for Real.
The Blaugrana will believe that they have the firepower to trouble any opponent this season, with summer signing Robert Lewandowski introduced to their fold against the Blancos.
The Polish striker, who has completed a move from Bayern Munich, was included from the start as he led the line for Xavi’s side – with the No.12 shirt handed to him.
Barca’s boss said afterwards of his attacking options, with Ousmane Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among those to have stepped off the bench: “You have already seen Raphinha show that he is capable of making a difference, very dynamic, he can play on both wings.
“And Robert is a world star. A world star who comes with tremendous humility, who comes to help us and who has adapted very quickly.
“The truth is, I am very happy with these two incorporations that at the same time give a lot of competition to the people at the top and thus we will all have to work even harder.”