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Barcelona defeated Sevilla 1-0 at home in La Liga on Friday, September 29 to go top of the league on a temporary basis.
Barca entered this game on the back of a 2-2 draw against Mallorca in their last outing as they equalized late and held on. However, they faced a much tougher opponent tonight and could not afford any slip-ups. Xavi Hernandez fielded a strong lineup for this game.
Sevilla, on the other hand, smashed Almeria 5-1 in their last outing as five goalscorers capped a five-star performance. However, with the team reeling in the bottom-half of the table, manager Jose Luis Mendilibar knew he had to do something to overturn the situation.
Both teams were evenly matched in terms of intent and urgency in the first half as Barcelona attempted seven shots with three on target. The hosts came close to opening the scoring via the in-form Joao Felix, whose shot struck the woodwork. However, that was as close as they got to troubling Sevilla 'keeper Orjan Nyland in the first half.
Sevilla, on the other hand, attempted six shots with two of those on target as Marc-Andre ter Stegen made two good saves. Despite players getting into decent positions, the visitors were unable to find adequate space behind Barcelona's backline.
The first half ended 0-0.
The second half saw Barcelona double their efforts to grab the opening goal, which also resulted in a doubling of their attempts on goal. The hosts had 11 attempts in the second half but hit the target just twice as they struggled to build momentum.
Sevilla, on the other hand, attempted the same number of shots as they did in the first half but hit the target just once. Their forwards had an off day and things got worse as Sergio Ramos scored an own goal towards the end of the game. The ball was crossed from the right wing and Ramos couldn't sort his feet out in time.
Barcelona held on to secure a crucial 1-0 win, and on that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5. Barcelona lost Raphinha to injury in the first half
Having made a good start to the game, Barcelona were slowly hitting top gear as they looked to score. However, their efforts were delivered a blow towards the end of the first period as Raphinha had to be substituted off due to an injury.
The Brazilian was tackled hard by a Sevilla player and was left in a heap and walked gingerly following the impact. He soon went down and the game had to be stopped as Fermin Lopez was brought on to replace Raphinha.
#4. Joao Felix's effort smashed the crossbar
Barcelona looked fluid in attack and sometimes carve Sevilla's defensive shape open with their quick movements. One such move nearly resulted in the first goal of the game in the first half.
A long run from Joao Cancelo ended in him laying the ball off to Felix inside Sevilla's penalty area. The latter attempted a first-time shot and saw his effort cannon off the crossbar.
#3. Barca were wasteful in the final third
With a total of 18 attempted shots in the game, Barca were in no shortage of players attempting to convert chances to score. However, with just five of those on target and their goal coming from a deflected cross could spell trouble for Xavi's men going into big games in the future.
With Robert Lewandowski struggling to find consistency in his form, Barca are currently reliant on contributions from the likes of Ferran Torres, Joao Felix and Raphinha to do the bulk of the scoring.
Should they wish to replicate their league triumph from last season, Barcelona will need to pull up their socks in front of goal.
#2. Barca's old foe Sergio Ramos scores an own goal
Sergio Ramos is probably one of the most feared and also hated defenders of all time, especially if one is a Barcelona supporter. The Spaniard represented their arch-rivals Real Madrid for over a decade and won several top honors with Los Blancos. However, his unfortunate own goal brought smiles to Barca's fans' faces.
Lamine Yamal got into the box and got onto the end of a wonderful pass from Cancelo. He headed the ball across the face of goal but it struck Sergio Ramos on his feet before he could react and the ball ricocheted into the net.
#1. Xavi's men are provisionally first in La Liga
Having played before both Girona and Real Madrid, Barca knew a win would be enough to take them above both their rivals and into the top spot. That they had to rely on an own goal should not matter as they have now won 20 points from their opening eight games.
Barca will now travel to Porto for their next outing in the UEFA Champions League in the midweek.
