Lacking precision offensively in the first period, FC Barcelona set their sights after the break to afford an easy victory against Sevilla FC (3-0). The Catalans are eight points clear of runners-up Real Madrid.
While their pursuers, Real Madrid and Real Sociedad , lost a little earlier this Sunday, FC Barcelona did not miss out and won quietly against Sevilla thanks to goals from Jordi Alba, Gavi and Raphinha (3-0). The Catalans, however, started the game badly with the injury of Sergio Busquets after eight minutes of play.
Dominating in the first period, the Barcelonans came up against numerous interventions by Yassine Bounou in front of Robert Lewandowski (16th, 27th). With Jorge Sampaoli’s players defending in numbers, the Catalans failed to find the creativity needed to make a difference in a closed first act.
Returning from the locker room, the Catalans put more pressure and managed to open the scoring with a collective action of great beauty. After 17 passes in a row, and a nice opening signed Franck Kessié, Jordi Alba is hit in the back of the defense and he has time to deceive Bounou with a flat foot (1-0, 58th).
Having found how to force the rojiblanco lock, Barça flew away thanks to Raphinha who cleverly found Gavi at the far post to widen the gap (2-0, 70th). From cover, Xavi’s men kept pushing. They buried the last Andalusian hopes in the 79th minute when Raphinha went there with his goal on a caviar from Jordi Alba in the six meters of Yassine Bounou (3-0).
A success which took time to take shape for FC Barcelona but which does not suffer from any dispute given the poor performance of Seville. The Andalusians, however, remained on two straight victories in the Championship. Barça monopolizes first place and takes an eight-point lead over Real Madrid. Seville is thirteenth.
The player: Jordi Alba, a ceaseless activity
It seemed everywhere that Sunday night. Little threatened in the defensive phase but imperial on the few interventions he had to make, Jordi Alba especially showed himself in a great light offensively.
While Barça lacked creativity during a large part of the meeting, it was the one, with a call and a flat foot, which gave the solution to his people.
On the same type of borderline offside runs, he served Raphinha in ideal conditions to score the third and final Catalan goal. A successful performance for the 33-year-old left defender.
Sevilla have not won any of their last 20 trips to Camp Nou in La Liga (D3 L17). The last time the Andalusians won in Catalonia was a 3-0 victory in December 2002 and Xavi was on the pitch with FC Barcelona.