Barcelona strengthened their grip on top spot in LaLiga with an impressive 3-1 comeback victory over Sevilla at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, inspired by a perfect hat-trick from Brazilian star Raphinha.
The Barça captain scored with his right foot, head and left foot, becoming the first Barcelona player in 11 years to register a perfect LaLiga hat-trick. Lamine Yamal was equally influential, providing two assists as Hansi Flick’s side secured a seventh consecutive league victory.
Sevilla Strike First After Yamal Hits the Post
Barcelona arrived in Seville full of confidence following their emphatic 7-2 victory over Racing de Santander, and Yamal almost continued that momentum immediately.
The teenager curled a superb long-range effort towards goal, only to watch it strike the upright.
Sevilla punished that missed opportunity roughly 10 minutes later. Félix Correia delivered an inviting clipped ball into the area, where Youssouf Fofana powered a near-post header beyond LaLiga debutant Dominik Livaković to give the hosts a surprise lead.
It was Fofana’s first goal for Sevilla and briefly raised hopes of another memorable home victory over Barcelona.
Raphinha Brings Barcelona Level
Those hopes did not last long.
Raphinha, thriving in a new center-forward role, timed his run perfectly to get behind Sevilla’s defense and collect Andreas Christensen’s through ball. The Brazilian shifted the ball onto his right foot before calmly finishing past the goalkeeper.
The equalizer took Raphinha into double figures after only seven league matches, sending Barcelona into half-time level at 1-1.
Yamal and Raphinha Turn the Game Around
Barcelona stepped up the pressure after the restart, with Yamal playing a decisive role.
After controlling the ball brilliantly, the 19-year-old escaped two Sevilla defenders before delivering an excellent cross for Raphinha to head Barcelona into a 2-1 lead.
The Brazilian almost completed his hat-trick directly from a corner moments later, but his audacious attempt struck the far post.
Sevilla’s reprieve proved temporary.
Shortly before the 70-minute mark, Yamal split the home defense with a perfectly weighted through ball. Raphinha raced onto it and delicately lifted a left-footed finish over Odysseas Vlachodimos, completing his perfect hat-trick.
Raphinha’s Incredible Barcelona Form Continues
The goal completed Raphinha’s second consecutive hat-trick and took his tally to 14 goals across all competitions.
More importantly for Barcelona, the 3-1 win extended their LaLiga winning run to seven matches and moved Flick’s side six points clear at the top of the table.
Barça also avoided suffering consecutive away league defeats against Sevilla for the first time since 2007, underlining their impressive early-season momentum.
Sevilla, meanwhile, remain fifth heading into the international break despite seeing their early advantage overturned.
Barcelona’s Attack Sends Another Warning
Barcelona may not have produced the seven-goal spectacle witnessed against Racing Santander, but this was arguably a more significant demonstration of their attacking quality.
Falling behind at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán presented a genuine test, yet the combination of Raphinha’s ruthless finishing and Yamal’s creativity transformed the contest.
With seven straight LaLiga victories and their captain scoring freely, Barcelona head into the break firmly in control of the early title race.
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