Barcelona Misses Chance to Top La Liga After 4-1 Defeat to Sevilla
(MENAFN) FC Barcelona squandered the opportunity to reclaim the top position in La Liga on Sunday, suffering a crushing 4-1 defeat to Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.
The heavy loss leaves Barcelona trailing Real Madrid by two points as the league heads into the international break. The result raises concerns for coach Hansi Flick, who is grappling with a decline in form coinciding with the absence of key players.
Without injured stars Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Fermin Lopez, Barcelona struggled defensively and was dominated by Sevilla in the first half.
Sevilla took control early, with Isaac Romero winning a penalty in the 12th minute after being fouled by Ronald Araujo. Former Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez confidently converted the spot-kick into the bottom corner.
Romero and Sanchez continued to trouble the Barcelona defense, with Romero coming close to scoring from a cross before firing at Wojciech Szczesny. The duo combined again in the 36th minute, allowing Romero to score a simple tap-in after a slick pass from Gabriel Suazo and Ruben Vargas.
Barcelona, struggling throughout the first half, found a lifeline just before the break. Marcus Rashford pulled one back in the 6th minute of injury time, heading home a cross from Pedri.
The second half saw Barcelona shift gears, pressing Sevilla deeper into their half. However, Szczesny was called into action again, making an excellent save to deny Romero’s effort. Sevilla's goalkeeper, Odysseas Vlachodimos, then took center stage, first denying Ferran Torres' low shot and later keeping out Eric Garcia’s header from a corner.
In the 72nd minute, Robert Lewandowski had a chance to equalize from the penalty spot after Alejandro Balde was fouled by Adnan Januzaj, but the veteran striker sent his attempt wide.
Sevilla sealed the win in the final minute, with Jose Antonio Carmona curling in a stunning goal assisted by Lucien Agoume, and Akor Adams compounded Barcelona’s misery with a fourth goal in injury time. This victory marked Sevilla's first home win since February.
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