Thanks to a 4-1 win at Sevilla FC, FC Barcelona benefited from the point shared in the Derbi Madrileno on matchday 23 and closed the gap on the leading duo to two points.
Hansi Flick made four changes to the side that beat Valencia 5-0 in the Copa del Rey on Thursday evening: Araujo, Inigo Martinez, Gavi and Lewandowski came in for Eric, Cubarsi, Fermin and Ferran Torres (all on the bench).
Vargas immediately counters Lewandowski
The game started at a fast pace, with the Catalans initially taking the upper hand: Lamine Yamal almost scored an early dream goal, but former Ingolstadt player Nyland in the Sevilla goal made a strong reaction to prevent it (6′). However, after the following corner, Lewandowski scored with a clever finish to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead (7′). But the joy did not last long, because the former Augsburg player Vargas scored from full speed on the counterattack to equalize (8′).
As the first half progressed, the game became more disorganized and was repeatedly marked by interruptions. Chances became rarer, but they did exist: Raphinha forced Nyland to make a save (16′), while on the opposite side Isaac sliced wide of the goal in a prime position (17′). There were further good chances for both sides shortly before half-time. For Barcelona, Koundé shot a touch too high (43′), while on the other side, Szczesny saved a spectacular scissor kick from Lukebakio (45′). The draw at half-time was ultimately a fair result.
Fermin scores immediately – and is sent off
After the break, Flick brought Fermin on for Gavi – and the substitute was to immediately take center stage: Not a minute after coming on at the restart, Fermin headed the ball into the net from a soft chip from Pedri to make it 2-1 (46′). After the supposed equalizer – again by Vargas – was disallowed due to two offside positions, Raphinha extended the lead with an accurate shot from the edge of the box (55′).
Then Fermin came into focus again. After a hard tackle on Sow, the scorer was shown a red card after a video check – initially he had been shown a yellow card (62). A justifiable decision. Even with a man more, Sevilla hardly managed to create any serious danger for Szczesny’s goal. In the end, it was even Eric who scored the 4-1 final score for the decimated Catalans after a set-piece situation (89′).
The Flick team will not be in action until Monday (9 p.m.) when they play at home against Rayo Vallecano, while Sevilla will be at Real Valladolid on Sunday (4:15 p.m.).
