Barcelona provided the perfect response to title rivals Real Madrid’s emphatic win over Elche, delighting fans at the Camp Nou with a powerful statement: a 5-2 victory over Sevilla that showcased prowess, poise, and individual brilliance. With just 10 league games left in the gripping 2025/26 La Liga season, Hansi Flick's men proved they are firmly in control at the summit—now sitting four points clear.
Raphinha’s heroics
From the opening whistle, Barcelona came out with intent, their attacking verve immediately pinning Sevilla back. Raphinha, the Brazilian wing wizard, was at the heart of everything dangerous. In only the ninth minute, Joao Cancelo, ever a livewire on the flank, was brought down by Djibril Sow. Cool and collected, Raphinha stepped up and audaciously chipped his penalty straight down the middle, setting the tone for a memorable night.
Just 12 minutes later, another spot-kick opportunity arrived as Jose Angel Carmona handled the ball while attempting to dispossess Cancelo. This time, Raphinha rifled his effort into the bottom left corner—no chance for Sevilla’s Odysseas Vlachodimos, despite the keeper's best efforts.
Goals galore: Olmo’s thunderbolt and the Sevilla response
By the 38th minute, Barcelona had already stamped their authority. Marc Bernal’s deflected pass fortuitously found Dani Olmo, who lashed home a ferocious third, his strike drawing excited gasps across the Camp Nou stands. Sevilla, however, refused to roll over. In a rare attacking spell, Oso redirected Juanlu Sanchez's delivery beyond Joan Garcia, giving the visitors a glimmer of hope before halftime.
After the break, the Catalan giants quickly extinguished any Sevilla comeback dreams. Raphinha finished off a slick move, working the ball with substitute Fermin Lopez before his shot—aided by a significant deflection off Nemanja Gudelj—escaped Vlachodimos for his hat-trick. Not only was it a personal milestone, but it demoralized the opposition.
Cancelo’s moment and missed opportunities
Momentum firmly in hand, Barcelona pressed on. Joao Cancelo, who had already been central to the contest, was rewarded for his efforts. He exchanged passes with Raphinha before firing in his first goal since returning to Barcelona. As the game opened up, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski both spurned late chances that could have swelled the score further.
Sevilla, spirited to the end, picked up a consolation as Sow headed in from an Oso cross, but it was little more than a footnote in an otherwise dominant showing from the hosts.
Raphinha joins elite company and the stats tell the story
Raphinha’s night was historic. Becoming only the sixth Barcelona player this century to score two penalties in a single LaLiga game, he joined a star-studded list:
- Patrick Kluivert (2002)
- Samuel Eto’o (2005)
- Lionel Messi (three times: twice in 2012, once in 2014)
- Neymar (2015)
- Luis Suarez (2016)
The Brazilian's treble also marked his 11th league goal this campaign and an astonishing sixth goal in as many appearances against Sevilla—proving just how much he relishes these encounters. Statistically, Raphinha accounted for a whopping 1.7 expected goals (xG) from Barca's team total of 3.36, with Sevilla managing just 0.83 xG. The data further underlined Barcelona's superiority and the gap in class on display.