Sevilla 2-4 Barcelona
Lionel Messi put on yet another master class, scoring three and making one goal as Barcelona beat Sevilla to go ten points clear at the top of the La Liga table.
Over 40,000 fans at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium couldn’t believe their eyes as the home side twice went ahead only to be pegged back by Messi, before he completed his hat-trick to put Barca ahead late in the game. And there was still time to make an assist for Luis Suarez’ injury time goal.
SBOBET football fans will have to go a long way to see a better player than the Argentine genius. Juventus fans might have something to say about that, but at the moment Messi is pure magic. His finishing today was sublime.
With second placed Atletico at home to Villarreal tomorrow the gap may well reduce to seven points. But that’s still a big lead and Barca fans can keep up with the La Liga 2019 updates happy in the knowledge that their heroes have already done the business for the weekend.
Pablo Machin’s Sevilla has been in danger of dropping out of the top four places for a while now and with Getafe beating Rayo Vallecano today they have now slumped to fifth place. It could possibly get worse if Alaves can bag a home win against Celta Vigo…
Highlights of the game
Barca didn’t have it all their own way last week against Valladolid and it looked like being another tough afternoon for Ernesto Valverde’s men when they went behind on 22 minutes. The visitors had been pressing but Sevilla has plenty of threat up front, and after a quick break away top scorer Wissam Ben Yedder found Jesus Navas on the right side of the box, and the former Manchester City man fired low into the opposite corner.
It didn’t take the Catalans long to respond though, and when Ivan Rakitic crossed to Messi he took aim and fired an unstoppable shot into the top left corner.
But Sevilla went ahead again, just before half time, and this time it was Gabriel Mercado slotting low into the corner after good work from Pablo Sarabia. Machin went into the half time break the happier of the two managers but a second half mauling will have changed his mood.
The hosts stayed ahead until the 67th minute, but when Ousmane Dembele passed to Messi in the middle of the penalty area, this time he fired into the top right corner.
In fairness to Sevilla, both teams pressed for the winner but when Navas crossed for Ben Yedder his shot from close range was blocked. Messi had a superb shot from distance well saved in the top right corner and Carles Alena had two shots blocked, but with just five minutes to go Sevilla caved in. When Messi found himself with time, once again in the centre of the penalty area, he fired home, this time low into the bottom right corner.
But the Barca man wasn’t finished, and all hopes of a dramatic late equaliser disappeared when he fired a superb through ball to Suarez and he slotted home in the bottom right corner to send the visiting fans wild.
Great result for Barca but big problems for Sevilla.
Key statistics
Leo Messi and Luis Suarez sit proudly at the top of the La Liga top scorers table, with Messi on an impressive shots-on-target percentage of 64 per cent, and he was absolutely clinical today.
The visitors recovered well to come from behind twice, the mark of champions. They enjoyed 60 per cent possession and won the shot count by 17 to 13 with eight to four on target.
Sevilla gave it a good go and almost held out for a draw, but they didn’t keep the ball as well as their visitors, with 77 per cent passing accuracy to Barcelona’s 85 per cent.
Worryingly for Machin that makes it five defeats in seven for Sevilla in the league and that’s a run that needs arresting quickly.
What’s next?
What a week Barca has in store and what a week for La Liga fans with two El Clasicos to enjoy.
Both are at the Bernabeu, the first in the Copa del Rey second leg tier after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou. Valverde’s team has won the Copa for the last four seasons and they’ll be looking for another double and to make it five.
Then the improving Los Blancos host the Catalans in the league and that’s a must win for the hosts if they are to keep their own title hopes alive. Keep looking on here for our La Liga 2019 betting tips as the season comes to an exciting climax.
Sevilla needs a win, and desperately. They have a big chance next week away to bottom club Huesca, but the battling hosts have only lost one in five.
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