Barcelona secured a comfortable 3-1 win over Sevilla in the Spanish La Liga on Saturday, with Brazilian forward Rafinha scoring a hat-trick to keep the league giants on track for a comfortable win.
The win moved Hansi Flick’s side six points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid, who face Atletico Madrid in Sunday’s derby.
The Spanish champions faced their toughest test yet this season, but Rafinha’s performance ensured they came away with a full point against Sevilla. The Brazilian has been in excellent form since the start of the season, playing out of position as a central striker.
Rafinha is at the top of the league with 12 goals in 7 matches after scoring two consecutive hat-tricks. He has also scored two more goals in the Champions League. After the match, Flick told reporters, “We know the quality of Rafinha and we are very happy with him. He gives a lot to the team. Today the team created opportunities for him and he used them well. After such performances in these eight matches, he is very happy to play in the number 9 position.”
Before the match, Barcelona sporting director Deco announced that the former Leeds United winger had agreed a contract to stay at the club until 2030. He seemed to be at his best on the pitch in celebration. “He is fantastic and can adapt to any position in attack. We give him the ball and he scores,” midfielder Fermin Lopez told Movistar.
Flick handed Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic his debut for Barcelona after goalkeeper Joan Garcia was injured. Fifth-placed Sevilla held Barca in check from the start and took the lead in the 19th minute through Yusuf Fofana, who headed home from close range after a cross from Felix Correa.
Barcelona were desperate to equalise after falling behind. A brilliant curling shot by young star Lamin Yamal was saved by Sevilla goalkeeper Odysseus Vlachodimos at the barpost. However, Barca could not be held back for long. The Catalans equalised with a masterful finish from Rafinha. He beat the defender with a body fit in the D-box and sent the ball into the net with a low shot.
The match changed after the break at the end of the first half. According to Flick, the team played much better football in the second half and kept possession of the ball. Flick said, “The match was difficult, especially in the first half. We lost the ball easily several times, which is not our usual level of play. But in the second half the boys came back to control themselves.”
Rafinha headed home a cross from Lamine Yamal early in the second half. Moments later, he scored his best goal, catching Yamal’s brilliant pass and slotting the ball over the goalkeeper’s head to complete his hat-trick.
Anthony Gordon then missed a chance and Dani Olmo’s free kick was saved by the Sevilla goalkeeper to keep the gap open. However, Barcelona have maintained their lead at the top of La Liga with eight wins in all competitions this season.
Sevilla are happy with their mentality of continuing to fight despite the loss. After the match, Sevilla captain Gabriel Suazo said, “We knew we were going up against a team that plays the best football in the world. We lacked some energy in the second half, but in the end we competed. We left the field with our heads held high.”
In other matches of the day, Celta Vigo thrashed Racing Santana 5-0, Athletic Bilbao and Alaves drew 0-0 and Rayo Vallecano held Osasuna to a 1-1 draw.
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