- Home >
- Soccer >
- LaLiga >
- Barcelona Delivers a Statement Win in LaLiga Ahead of El Clásico with a Rout Over Sevilla
Barcelona Delivers a Statement Win in LaLiga Ahead of El Clásico with a Rout Over Sevilla
This commanding win sets the stage for what's to come: two crucial matches against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, which will serve to gauge the true strength of Hansi Flick's team.
A brace from Robert Lewandowski and a goal from Pedri González within 39 minutes, followed by another brace from Pablo Torre in the final stretch, were enough for Barcelona to defeat Sevilla (5-1) during Gavi's return and maintain their lead in the league.
Barcelona continues to display a strong level of play. They know their style, everything is clicking, they're recovering key players, and they arrive at the first pivotal moment of the season in peak condition.
If you add to this the excellent form of their attacking line, their solidity in ball recovery, and the defense's precision in holding the line, it's easy to understand the satisfaction among the fans.
The team's image is defined by Robert Lewandowski's hot streak (12 goals in 10 matches) and Lamine Yamal's ability to create danger, but also by the importance of Raphinha, who won the penalty that opened the scoring.
Aside from a play by Lukébakio in the 9th minute, where he showed his power but wasn't accurate, Sevilla failed to make an impact in the first half, and only showed up sporadically in the second half.
Flick had to adjust his lineup last minute due to Eric García's injury during warm-ups. Surprisingly, instead of adding a midfielder, he gave Ansu Fati a chance and moved Raphinha back into the midfield.
But it didn't matter, because Barcelona kept functioning like clockwork. It seems that no matter who plays, the team maintains its rhythm. Despite the positive momentum, the Catalans opened the scoring from the penalty spot, after a foul by Peque on Raphinha.
Lewandowski converted the penalty in the 23rd minute (1-0), and from that point, the match tilted in favor of the Catalans. When Sevilla tried to push higher, Barcelona found more space and their forwards took advantage.
In a transition play, the 2-0 came. It was a team effort, with a deep pass from Lewandowski to Lamine, Kounde couldn't control it, and Pedri placed a shot to score the second goal (28th minute).
Barcelona kept recovering the ball near Nyland's goal, while Sevilla sought counterattacks, but the match was always under control. In the 39th minute, a shot from Raphinha was deflected by Lewandowski, sealing the game at 3-0.
Meanwhile, Lamine continued to shine early in the second half, with a shot that forced Nyland to make a highlight-reel save, followed by an assist to Raphinha that resulted in a goal, later ruled offside.
Despite being down 3-0, Sevilla didn't give up and pushed forward, while Barcelona appeared to ease off and Flick began rotating players. Pau Víctor and Fermín replaced Raphinha and Lewandowski in the 66th minute.
The game had been decided for a while, and the fans were eagerly awaiting Gavi's appearance, as he began warming up in the 64th minute. Most of those in Montjuïc were focused on his return.
Before Gavi's entry, Pablo Torre and Gerard Martín came onto the field. The Cantabrian player scored the 4-0 in the 82nd minute, and just a minute later, Gavi was back on the pitch, his first appearance since November 7th.
In the end, Idumbo scored for Sevilla in the 87th minute, making his debut as a scorer for the first team, while Pablo Torre closed out the game with a free-kick goal. Barça secured the win and now looks ahead. In the coming days, Flick's team will test their form against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to see if their game can compete with the best.