Sevilla sweeps past Barça at the Pizjuán

Sevilla overwhelmed a Barça side that was outclassed on every front. Alexis Sánchez , after a penalty that was heavily contested by the Catalans, Isaac Romero , with a move preceded by a steal from Koundé that the Frenchman claimed as a foul, Carmona and Adams sentenced a Barça side that was barely recognizable, resigned to returning the lead to Real Madrid. A festive Sunday at the Sánchez Pizjuán, where Sevilla had only won one of their last 12 matches. [Narration and statistics (4-1)]

In attack, with the exception of Rashford , Barça proved unable to beat Odisseas Vlachodimos , who even saw Robert Lewandowski miss a chance from 11 meters to make it 2-2. In defense, meanwhile, they struggled to stop Sevilla's attacks, which were very aggressive in their approach throughout the match. The script, which surely exceeded what Matías Almeyda expected, ended up delivering a victory that the home side had been yearning for for 10 years.

Sevilla went into the break with a 2-1 lead that could have been even bigger, even if the Catalans felt aggrieved by the way those goals came about. The first was scored by Alexis Sánchez , a penalty, after the referee corrected his assessment of a challenge between Araujo and Isaac Romero , which he had initially ruled not punishable at the request of the VAR.

Lack of bite

Romero scored the second goal after a recovery in which Koundé claimed a foul, which both the referee and the VAR did not consider as such with just over 20 minutes left in the first half. In between, the home side could have gone even further ahead on the scoreboard. Given the Barça team's lack of bite in attack and intensity in defense, poor aim on occasion and good saves from Szczesny , especially after a great shot from Mendy , ensured the deficits did not become even greater.

And that would cost them dearly. Rashford , after a fine assist from a Pedri who was extremely uncomfortable throughout the first half due to the tight marking, made it 2-1 in extra time, thus opening his scoring account in La Liga after having already made his Champions League debut.

Given what had happened, Flick looked to change the outcome of the match by bringing on Balde and Eric for Gerard Martín and Araujo to start the second half. And the truth is, the Blaugrana began to win more duels against an opponent who, despite everything, continued to push forward into the Barcelona box and even called for a penalty for a possible handball by Balde, which was not considered as such by either the referee or the VAR.

Such persistence derailed Barça's game plan, and once the initial difficulties were over, they found a way to respond. First, with Pedri testing Odisseas Vlachodimos ' confidence. Then, with Eric 's header from a corner, well resolved by the Greek-German goalkeeper. Lewandowski had the best chance, after Januzaj gave a penalty on Balde, which the Pole, with his style that was exasperating both insiders and outsiders, sent wide.

Lewandowski looked to make amends shortly after with a fine assist for Roony Bardghji , which the Swedish striker, looking poised to score his first official goal as a Barça player, finished with a shot that died meekly in the hands of Vlachodimos . The Swede also tried to redeem himself as the game was dying, but his shot was well blocked by the home goalkeeper in a move that, in fact, would be the prelude to Sevilla's final victory.

Carmona , on a counterattack, made it 3-1 with a cross-shot that, despite Szczesny 's attempt to deflect it with his fingertips, ended up just missing the net. And Adams , in extra time, finished the job with the 4-1, unleashing a frenzy in the Sánchez-Pizjuán crowd, who were not used to taking all three points at home in recent times.