Yamal scores two as Barca punishes Girona
Lamine Yamal struck twice in the first half to help Barcelona maintain its perfect start in LaLiga with a commanding 4-1 win at Girona, a team it struggled against last season.
Yamal gave Barca a two-goal lead with two strikes in seven first-half minutes, dispossessing David Lopez before racing through on goal to curl home his first.
The teenager's second came after good work from Robert Lewandowski, who teed him up to strike through a crowded penalty area and in after 37 minutes.
Dani Olmo extended the lead further with a powerful angled finish after the break, then Pedri slotted home a 64th-minute fourth.
Girona substitute Cristhian Stuani netted a consolation goal in the 80th minute, six minutes before Barca blotted its copybook when forward Ferran Torres received a straight red card for a nasty studs-up challenge on Yaser Asprilla.
The Blaugrana's fifth straight win keeps them top of LaLiga on 15 points, four ahead of Real Madrid and Villarreal, while Girona is seventh, eight points off the summit.
Barcelona has scored 17 goals through its first five games of the season in LaLiga, making a stunning start to life under new boss Hansi Flick.
That is the most it has managed through its opening five matches of a campaign since it also hit 17 in 2017-2018.
Prior to the Lionel Messi era, the last time Barcelona had netted more at this stage of a season was in 1959-1960, when it also scored 17 times.
