Braulana moves two points behind Lariga’s leader
Barcelona scored a 4-1 victory over Sevilla despite a decline to 10 in the second half.
The goals of Robert Lewandowski, Fermin Lopez, Rafinha and Eric Garcia sealed three points for visitors, while Seville’s Reuben Vargas temporarily restored equality in the first half.
The game began with Barcelona leading in just six minutes.
In a well-worked corner routine, Inigo Martinez nodded the ball into Lewandowsky’s path.
However, the lead was short-lived as Sevilla responded just 77 seconds later.
Saul Niguez squared the ball into Vargas after perfectly timing his run behind Barcelona’s defense.
-FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona) February 9, 2025
The first half continued at a desperate pace, creating opportunities for both sides. Ramin Yamal was a constant threat and forced into an epic save by Niland, but Szczesny was equally busy, denying Luke Bakio’s bold bike kick just before the break.
Both teams suffered the fear of injuries, and Ronald Araujo and Gavi picked up knocks, leading to an early replacement for the Uruguay defender.
Xavi made a key tactical switch at halftime, replacing Gavi with Fermin Lopez.
Just seconds after the restart, Pedri produced a moment of glow, spurting a perfect 1 inch pass into the six-yard box. Nyland misjudged the ball flying and allowed Fermin to return home to help Barcelona’s lead 2-1.
Sevilla moved forward looking for an equalizer, but struggled to break through the disciplined Barcelona backline. Their job became easier in the 62nd minute when Fermin became a hero to villain and received a straight red card for a reckless stud-up challenge at Ghibril Saw.
Sevilla increased the pitch’s rise as Barcelona fell to 10, but lacked a final pass to create clear opportunities.
The visitors defended defied defiance and put the game to bed in 55 minutes against the play execution. Pau Cubarsi made an easy pass to Raphinha. Raphinha interweaved Sevilla’s defense before unleashing an astonishing strike in the far corner, making it 3-1.
Sevilla moved everything forward at the closing stage and Suso was closed, but Szczesny stood firm to deny the host.
Eric Garcia concluded the successful night by scoring in minutes of closing, making it 4-1.