Sevilla served notice with a stunning resolution against Barcelona, beating them 4-1 and handing them their first taste of defeat in La Liga this season. This loss prevented beaten Champions Barcelona from moving back to the top of the table. Today, they find themselves in second place, two points behind leaders Real Madrid with 19 points. Sevilla won their first league match against Barcelona since 2015 in a thrilling contest at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. This victory shot them up to sixth place in the standings, earning 13 points through their first eight games.
Barcelona had a hard time getting into their groove during the opening 45. Indeed, if I’m not mistaken, they failed to register even one shot on goal from the opening half an hour. Sevilla came out intent on securing their authority from the outset, sending long balls in behind to try and free Alexis Sanchez.
A Dominant Start for Sevilla
Sevilla took command of the game straight from the opening whistle. In the 13th minute, they drew a penalty after a hand ball in the box. The next penalty kick gave them the lead, and that kick began a snowball effect on the game.
In the 27th minute, Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made a critical save against Isaac Romero, denying his shot from inside the box. Sevilla continued to pile the pressure on Barcelona. Only ten minutes later, in the 37th minute, Romero netted his second, putting TFC up by two goals and putting Barcelona on the ropes.
Jose Angel Carmona put Sevilla’s third goal in before the break, and the rout was on.
“It’s one of the happiest days of my life. We deserved to win from start to finish.” – Jose Angel Carmona
Barcelona’s Struggles and Late Resurgence
Barcelona’s first significant chance was on the stroke of halftime, coming from a deflected shot by Marcus Rashford to give United the advantage going into the break. Though this issue served as a positive note, it was evident that Barcelona were still looking for their peak performance.
After the break, they tried to rally but started running into trouble again. At 76 minutes, up came Robert Lewandowski to take one of the most glamorous penalty kicks in recent soccer history. He squandered the opportunity and Barcelona would rue that missed chance as the momentum shifted.
Barcelona’s weaknesses were exposed as they weren’t able to control the game and create opportunities consistently.
“We lacked intensity, we couldn’t get the ball out of our half, we didn’t know what to do with the ball … we were never at our best.” – Pedri
Sevilla Seals Victory with Late Goal
As the match neared the closing minutes, Akor Adams provided the finishing touch for Sevilla. Their fourth goal came just five minutes into added time, underlining their dominant display. This final goal underscored Sevilla’s comprehensive victory and highlighted the gaps in Barcelona’s play.
Pedri acknowledged the need for improvement moving forward.
“We need to improve a lot of things so that we can start winning games again after the break.” – Pedri
