Barcelona moved 4 factors clear on the prime of La Liga with a commanding victory over Sevilla, Raphinha the star of the present with a hat-trick as Hansi Flick’s aspect showcased their title credentials in model.
The hosts had been in entrance inside 9 minutes. Joao Cancelo burst into the field and was bundled over by Djibril Sow, leaving the referee no selection.
Raphinha stepped up and cheekily chipped the ball down the centre with Vlachodimos diving to his left.
The second penalty arrived on 19 minutes when Carmona’s sliding problem caught the ball along with his arm as Cancelo drove into the field once more.
VAR confirmed the spot kick and Raphinha transformed as soon as extra, this time driving it exhausting to the underside left nook regardless of Vlachodimos getting a hand to it.
Sevilla had barely time to regroup earlier than Dani Olmo made it three. A deflected Bernal cross fell kindly into his path on the sting of the field and the Spaniard took one contact earlier than hammering a thunderous right-footed effort into the underside proper nook, his seventh league objective of the season.
A Sevilla objective on the stroke of half-time supplied the guests a lifeline. Juanlu Sanchez carried the ball down the suitable and delivered a cross to the again publish, the place Oso touched it down and swept it into the underside proper nook.
Any hope was extinguished inside six minutes of the restart. Substitute Fermin Lopez, launched on the break instead of Pedri, instantly made his mark, threading a wonderfully weighted go by to Raphinha on the sting of the field.
The Brazilian lower inside and struck cleanly, the ball taking a deflection off Gudelj that looped it into the highest left nook past a helpless Vlachodimos.
Cancelo and Gavi cap the event
Cancelo added a fifth on 60 minutes with a second of real high quality, recognizing house in behind the Sevilla defence, receiving from Raphinha and slicing inside to curve a left-footed end throughout objective.
Sevilla grabbed a late comfort by Sow, who headed residence from Oso’s inviting cross in stoppage time, however it barely registered as a footnote on what had been an totally one-sided afternoon.
The event was made much more particular by the late introduction of Gavi, coming back from a prolonged damage absence to a standing ovation from the Camp Nou crowd.
The midfielder has missed many of the season and his cameo, transient because it was, drew an emotional response from a house help that has waited a very long time to see him again.
