Barcelona failed to grab a win at Sanchez Pizjuan as they remained seventh in La Liga.
Sevilla held Barcelona to a 1-1 in their La Liga game on Tuesday. The Catalans showed significant signs of improvement, but they ultimately failed to beat the hosts.
A cold rainy night at Sanchez Pizjuan!
Barcelona started the game with a great tempo, dominating the midfield for the first half-hour. However, it was Sevilla who got broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute.
Following Ivan Rakitic’s precise pass from the corner spot, Papu Gomez received the ball inside the box. The former Atalanta forward then put the ball into the back of the net with an inch-perfect low strike.
However, it did not take too long for Barcelona to get back into the game. Xavi’s side got the equalizer right before the end of the first half. Following a corner from Ousmane Dembele, Ronald Araujo broke free from his marker to score the equalizer with an unstoppable header.
The Catalans were confident enough to get the match-winner in the second half. But, Sevilla defenders managed to remain coherent despite Barcelona having more possession. Until a moment of utter madness changed the game for Julen Lopetegui’s side.
Jules Kounde turned around to take a throw-in when Jordi Alba shoulder barged him in the 64th minute. The French defender then lost his temper and threw the ball into Alba’s face. The referee immediately sent Kounde off, and Sevilla were down to ten men for the final half-hour.
Barcelona pushed hard to get the match-winner after Kounde’s red card. Gavi came the closest in the 80th minute, but his header went over the crossbar. Barcelona missed a few more chances during the six-minute extra time as Sevilla managed to keep their precious point.
Barcelona are now seventh in La Liga while being five points away from third place. The Catalans will face Mallorca in their next league game on Sunday.
On the other hand, Sevilla missed out on their chance to close their five-point gap with Real Madrid. Lopetegui’s men will meet Cadiz in their next La Liga game on Monday.
Player Ratings
Sevilla: Bounou (7); Kounde (5), Carlos (6), Fernando (7), Rekik (6); Jordan (6), Delaney (6), Rakitic (7); Ocampos (6), Mir (6), Gomez (7).
Bench: Sanchez (6), Fattore (6), Augustinsson (6), Gudelj (6), En-Nesyri (6).
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (5); Araujo (8), Pique (7), Garcia (6), Alba (6); Gavrina (7), Busquets (7), De Jong (6); Dembele (8), Jutgla (6), Ezzalzouli (8).
Bench: Iglesias (6), Jong (7), Lenglet (6).
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