Barcelona overwhelm Valencia 7-1

Madrid, AP: Barcelona got back on track in the Spanish league by overwhelming Valencia on Sunday with four different players scoring in the first 24 minutes of a 7-1 rout. Frenkie de Jong opened the scoring in the third minute, Ferran Torres added to the lead in the eighth, Raphinha found the net in the 14th and Fermín López struck in the 24th at Montjuic stadium. López added the fifth in first-half stoppage time as Barcelona ended the first half with a 5-0 lead. Valencia got its goal with Hugo Duro in the 59th before Barcelona scored again with Robert Lewandowski in the 66th and an own-goal by César Tárrega in the 75th.

The victory moved Barcelona within three points of second-placed Atletico Madrid and seven points off leader Real Madrid, which won 3-0 at Valladolid on Saturday with a hat trick by Kylian Mbappé. Atletico was held 1-1 by Villarreal on Saturday. “We hadn't been doing well in the league and we needed to bounce back with a victory like that,” López said. “We have to keep fighting.” Barcelona was coming off victories in the Champions League, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, but had been winless in its last four league games.