Raphinha scores a hat-trick as Barcelona beat Sevilla 5-2 at Camp Nou to stay four points clear in La Liga. Dani Olmo and Joao Cancelo also found the back of net.
Barcelona delivered a commanding display on Sunday, beating Sevilla 5-2 to maintain their lead at the top of La Liga. Raphinha starred with a brilliant hat-trick as Hansi Flick’s side overwhelmed the visitors at Spotify Camp Nou.
The victory restored Barcelona’s four-point advantage over Real Madrid with 10 league matches remaining. It also continued their strong form at home, where goals have been flowing freely.
Barcelona struck early and never looked back. The hosts were awarded a penalty after Djibril Sow fouled Joao Cancelo inside the box in the ninth minute. Raphinha stepped up and cheekily chipped his effort straight down the middle to open the scoring.
The Brazilian doubled the lead just 12 minutes later. A VAR review spotted a handball by Jose Angel Carmona as he tried to stop Cancelo. Raphinha kept his composure again, firing low into the corner despite goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos getting a hand to it.
Barcelona remained in control and added a third before the break. Marc Bernal surged forward and his pass fell kindly for Dani Olmo, who struck first time from the edge of the area in the 38th minute. Sevilla found a lifeline deep in first-half stoppage time. Juanlu Sanchez delivered a cross that young winger Oso volleyed home for his first senior goal.
Any hopes of a Sevilla comeback faded quickly after halftime. Barcelona restored their authority just six minutes into the second half when Raphinha completed his hat-trick. Fermin Lopez played him in on the edge of the area and the Brazilian’s shot took a heavy deflection off Nemanja Gudelj. The looping effort wrong-footed the goalkeeper and dropped into the net.
Joao Cancelo then capped an excellent performance with Barcelona’s fifth goal on the hour mark. The Portuguese defender carried the ball from near halfway before cutting inside and firing through Vlachodimos.
Sevilla did grab another consolation in stoppage time. Oso turned provider this time, crossing for Sow to head in from close range. By then, however, the result had long been settled.
Raphinha was the undisputed star of the afternoon. His hat-trick took him to 11 La Liga goals this season and marked his third treble for Barcelona in all competitions. Cancelo also impressed, winning two penalties and scoring once in a tireless display down the flank. Olmo’s goal added further quality to an attacking performance that repeatedly troubled Sevilla’s defence.
The match also brought a positive moment for Barcelona supporters. Midfielder Gavi returned from a long knee injury and received a warm ovation when he came on in the closing stages.
Barcelona dominated the contest both on the scoreboard and statistically. The hosts generated around 3.36 expected goals compared to Sevilla’s 0.83, highlighting the gap in attacking threat. Raphinha alone accounted for 1.7 expected goals in the match. He also became only the sixth Barcelona player this century to score two penalties in a single La Liga game. The victory was Barcelona’s 12th straight home win since returning to Camp Nou in November. During that run, they have scored 39 goals.
Barcelona now turn their attention to the Champions League. Flick’s side host Newcastle United in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
In La Liga action next weekend, Barcelona welcome Rayo Vallecano. Sevilla, meanwhile, continue their fight near the lower half of the table as they look to move further away from the relegation zone when they host Valencia next weekend.
