Sports Desk:

Barcelona’s hopes of reclaiming the La Liga top spot were dashed on Sunday as they suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat away to Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium. This loss ended their unbeaten run in the league, coming just days after a painful 1-0 loss to PSG in the Champions League.

Sevilla were dominant from the start, taking a two-goal lead before halftime. Barcelona, despite pulling one back right before the break, struggled to create any real momentum and were punished further in the second half as Sevilla added two more goals to seal the comprehensive win.

Barcelona’s manager, Hansi Flick, was forced to field a makeshift squad due to injuries to key players including Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Fermin Lopez, Gavi, and goalkeeper Joan Garcia. Despite the injuries, Barcelona started with high hopes but were caught off guard early.

The match took a turning point in the 13th minute when Barcelona captain Ronald Araújo fouled Isaac Romero in the penalty box. After a VAR review, a penalty was awarded, and former Barcelona forward Alexis Sánchez converted to give Sevilla the lead. Sevilla’s Romero could have had a hat-trick within the first 30 minutes, but a series of saves from goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny kept Barcelona in the game.

However, in the 36th minute, Sevilla doubled their advantage as Romero finished off a counterattack to make it 2-0. Barcelona had a couple of chances before the break, including a one-on-one miss from Marcus Rashford and an acrobatic attempt from Robert Lewandowski that went wide.

The visitors finally responded in added time before the break. Pedri’s brilliant pass found Rashford, who finished with a superb first-time strike, pulling Barcelona to within one goal of Sevilla.

Flick made adjustments at halftime, bringing on Eric Garcia and Alejandro Balde for Araújo and Gerard Martin. Barcelona almost equalized in the 65th minute when Garcia’s header was saved by the Sevilla keeper. Soon after, Barcelona was awarded a penalty, but Lewandowski’s attempt sailed wide.

Despite mounting pressure from Barcelona, Sevilla’s defense held firm. In the 81st minute, substitute Roony Bardghji nearly equalized with a dazzling solo effort, but his shot was blocked by the Sevilla goalkeeper.

Sevilla finally sealed the victory in the 87th minute. Akor Adams had a goal ruled out for offside, but moments later, José Ángel Carmona scored on a counterattack to make it 3-1. The match was put beyond doubt when Sevilla added a fourth goal in stoppage time, securing a memorable 4-1 win, their biggest over Barcelona since 2002.

With the loss, Barcelona remained second in the La Liga standings with 19 points, trailing Real Madrid, who reclaimed the top spot with 21 points after their 3-1 win over Villarreal. Sevilla’s win pushed them to fourth place with 13 points, as they continued their strong campaign.

Barcelona, after a difficult week, now face a tough challenge ahead as they aim to bounce back and salvage their La Liga title aspirations.