Alba and Raphinha shine as Barcelona ease past Sevilla
This evening’s contest bore little resemblance to what has historically been a clash of two Spanish juggernauts, with Sevilla travelling to the Camp Nou languishing just two points above the relegation zone. The Andalusians had recently fuelled their surprise search for survival by securing successive league victories, but they struggled for a foothold against table-toppers Barcelona, who themselves lacked nothing in first-half fluency.
Even the early loss of Xavi’s greatest lieutenant, Sergio Busquets, couldn’t stem his side’s creativity. That determination to stay on top without such an influential figure resulted in multiple opportunities for Robert Lewandowski, but he couldn’t get the ball out of his feet when presented with the best chance of the first half. Considering the Catalan side’s degree of control, Sevilla might have been relieved as the HT whistle sounded, but they’d barely laid a glove on a Barça defence that had conceded just one La Liga goal at home this season.
Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli responded by bolstering his frontline after HT, though this had little impact on the flow of the game with Barcelona edging closer to an opening strike. The goal might have felt inevitable when it finally arrived just before the hour mark, but the goalscorer came as a surprise, with Alba side-footing in from 10 yards after meeting Franck Kessié’s delicious lay-off with perfect timing.
Alba’s maiden goal of 2022/23 already felt decisive in the context of this battle, especially as Xavi’s men had previously won four consecutive top-flight games by a one-goal margin for the first time in their history. But Gavi ensured that there would be none of the late nerves associated with guarding a slender lead, and bedecked in his boss’ legendary number six shirt, he tapped in after some classy buildup play stretched the now-weary Sevilla backline.
This was the final blow to a Sevilla side who have not found a top-flight win here since 2002, and Barcelona rubbed more salt into the wounds with a near-carbon copy of their killer second goal on 79 minutes, as Alba squared for Raphinha to tuck in a simple finish. The Barça machine continues to churn, much to the disappointment of the visiting fans who see their struggling team remain right in the heat of the relegation battle.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jordi Alba (Barcelona)