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Barcelona were hopeful for a victory against Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, unlike their last Copa Del Rey outing which they lost 2-0. The Blaugrana gave away possession in cheap areas and paid the price when Sevilla's skipper Jesus Navas found the back of the net in a quick counter-attack.
The lead did not last for four minutes when Lionel Messi struck a thunderous volley to give no chance of getting any hands to the goalkeeper. Ernesto Valverde's side defence went for a walk yet again when Gabriel Mercado sliced one past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
The script was totally different in the second half. The visitors looked unconvincing and struggled for the final deliveries. But, when Ousmane Dembele came on, he set up Lionel Messi who took the shot with his weaker foot to launch the ball into the back of the net.
They kept on piling pressure on Sevilla's defence and eventually got the lead in the 85th minute. Lionel Messi was the man yet again, and he scored when the ball ricochets off a Sevilla defender. Luis Suarez bagged one during injury time to keep the points lead intact.
Barcelona are 10 and 12 points above Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, respectively, in the League table respectively. Whereas, Getafe leapfrog Sevilla to the fourth spot currently.
In this article, we shall look at three reasons for Barcelona's 4-2 victory over Sevilla.
Also see : Womens World Cup Bracket, Copa America Standings, Gold Cup Standings
#1 Lionel Messi's individual brilliance
If there was one man who could have won this game singlehandedly, it will be Lionel Messi. The Argentine put in an extraordinary performance to come to Barcelona's rescue yet again by securing a hat-trick which proved to be the ultimate difference at the end.
Just when the Blaugrana looked out of ideas, Ivan Rakitic found Lionel Messi inside the penalty box. The rest of the players were just told to sit back and enjoy that moment when he thundered a venomous volley in the 26th minute.
During the second half, he used his weaker foot to find the top right-hand corner to equalize the score for the second time. He was alert enough to divert the ball to complete a well-deserved hat-trick.
Apart from scoring three and setting up one for Luis Suarez, his overall game was phenomenal. Whenever he touched the ball, there was total anxiety in the stadium.
#2 Sevilla looked tired in the second half
Both Barcelona and Sevilla are in the middle of a hectic schedule. Pablo Machin's side were pressing higher up the pitch during the first half and won plenty of duels forcing Barcelona to clear the ball when they were provided with an opportunity.
It was complete vice versa in the second half as they ran out of fuel. They had the mental strength to come away with something from this game until Lionel Messi scored the score of the night to equalize the score. With the mental strength taking a toil, they lacked ideas and most of the side were tired and gave away possession on key areas.
They could have done better for the second goal. Sevilla's shot-stopper Tomas Vaclik will be kicking himself for giving the ball away which fell to Ivan Rakitic. He made a long bursting run and passed the ball to Ousmane Dembele who found Lionel Messi in the edge of the penalty box.
It was an intriguing encounter and Machin would have plenty of positives to recover from this game.
#3 Ousmane Dembele substitution was pivotal
When Barcelona needed more direct pace and create chances upfront, Ousmane Dembele was introduced in place of Arturo Vidal after the first half. The French International came on and tormented the left-back Maximilian Wober through the right flank.
During the second goal, he picked up a right pass to find Lionel Messi who had a majority of the work to do. But, his presence in the wings stretched the game for Sevilla who had to more defensive work than attacking display in the second half. Even during the fourth goal, he was drifting in from the outside and passed the ball to Lionel Messi.
The Argentine found his teammate Luis Suarez who dinked the ball over Sevilla's goalkeeper to secure his 16th La Liga goal for the season. The presence of Dembele proved to be crucial for Barcelona as their record signing Philippe Coutinho had yet another miserable outing.
