Brilliant Raphinha leads Barcelona to a 3-1 victory over Sevilla
Brazilian international Raphinha, with his second hat-trick in a week, led title holders Barcelona to preserve their perfect record with a 3-1 victory over hosts Sevilla on Saturday in the seventh round of the Spanish La Liga.
The Catalan giants extended their lead at the top of the standings to 21 points from seven wins in seven matches, a six-point advantage over Real Madrid and Real Betis, who face Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna, respectively, on Sunday.
Despite falling behind to a goal by Frenchman Youssef Fofana (19), Barcelona came back thanks to Raphinha's hat-trick (19, 52, 69).
The standout Raphinha raised his tally to 12 goals in seven matches, topping the La Liga scoring charts, in a performance that once again underscored his pivotal role for the Blaugrana, especially hours after Portuguese sporting director Deco confirmed the extension of the Brazilian international's contract until 2030.
Sevilla, currently in fifth place, started strongly at home, managing to put Barcelona under pressure and disrupt their rhythm before taking the lead in the 19th minute through Fofana.
Portuguese Felix Correia broke past Eric Garcia before delivering a cross that Fofana headed in at the near post to give the hosts the lead.
Young star Lamine Yamal nearly equalized for Barcelona, but Sevilla's Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos made a brilliant save to deflect his curled shot, which hit the post and went for a goal kick (20).
It was no surprise that Raphinha led Barcelona's comeback, as the Brazilian scored the equalizer.
With notable skill, the winger shifted his body to evade a defender's mark before firing a low, driven shot that found the net.
Although Yamal (19) did not score himself, he played a major role in Raphinha's next two goals, providing the assists for the Brazilian star.
At the start of the second half, Yamal delivered a precise cross that Raphinha rose to head into the net, putting Barcelona ahead.
However, Raphinha's best goal was yet to come, as Yamal threaded a brilliant through ball that put the Brazilian one-on-one with Sevilla's goalkeeper, before he cleverly chipped the ball over him to score a stunning goal.
Barcelona missed several chances to extend their lead, with Englishman Anthony Gordon failing to handle one opportunity properly, while Sevilla's goalkeeper saved a dangerous free kick taken by Dani Olmo.
Nevertheless, Barcelona held on to their lead until the final whistle, securing their eighth win in eight matches across all competitions this season and continuing to set the pace at the top of the Spanish league.
