Barcelona stretched their La Liga lead over Real Madrid to a substantial eight points with a comfortable 3‑0 win over Sevilla on Sunday. The Catalans, aiming to win their first Spanish title since 2019, punished second‑placed Madrid for their 1‑0 defeat by Real Mallorca earlier on, opening up a wide gap ahead of their rivals. After a tight first half, Jordi Alba broke the deadlock before the hour mark, with further goals from Gavi and Raphinha sealing the victory.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández had criticised his team in recent weeks for not killing off games after taking the lead, but they did not let him down at the Camp Nou. The win was their 10th in the last 11 league games, and Barca are now unbeaten in 15 matches across all competitions. They have conceded just seven goals in La Liga this season, recording their 15th clean sheet. “I think we are having a very good season, we’re playing well, letting opponents have few chances,” Alba told DAZN. “We’re happy, eight points clear but there’s a long way to go. It’s a good distance if we keep going like this.”
Barcelona’s game plan was initially disrupted when captain Sergio Busquets was forced off with an ankle injury after just four minutes, and was replaced by Franck Kessié. Sevilla, 16th after a dismal start to the season, sat deep with five defenders and tried to frustrate the Catalans at every turn. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou denied La Liga’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski at his near post early on, while Ronald Araujo headed narrowly off‑target from a corner. Bounou stretched fully to foil a vicious Lewandowski drive from distance as Barcelona struggled to create clear chances. Sevilla were fortunate to survive the first half with ten men when Ivan Rakitić’s late lunge on Araujo was only punished with a yellow card.
In the second half, Barcelona came out with renewed vigour, keen to capitalise on Real Madrid’s defeat. Alba pounced with a tidy finish after a superb assist from Kessié, who turned well and dinked the ball into the Spaniard’s path. After Sevilla shifted to a more attacking formation, Raphinha set up Gavi for the second goal with a raking low pass that left the youngster with a tap‑in at the back post in the 70th minute. Raphinha then provided the cutting edge on a slick 17‑pass team move for the third goal, finishing from point‑blank range after an Alba cross.
Sevilla’s former Barcelona midfielder Rakitić was serenaded by home fans but left dismayed at his team’s lack of intent. “I think that to be able to take something from Camp Nou, you have to be a lot braver,” the Croatian told DAZN. “You have to try, even if it’s hard. Waiting so long, in the end a team like Barca will find you out. We have to get points, now.”
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