Shaken by the Negreira affair which saw the emergence of the rumor of a potential ban from professional football this Thursday, Barça did not give the sensation of being disturbed on the field this Friday. Dominant, Xavi’s men won against a Sevilla who were not very threatening (1-0). Except for a strike from Ocampos saved by Gavi on his goal line (30th), then a header from Rakitic which still caused a short-lived chill (72nd), Barça was generally in control of its subject .
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If the goal against his side from Sergio Ramos (76th) took almost 80 minutes, the Catalans could well have folded the match in the first half with Joao Félix’s huge opportunity on the crossbar after a huge work of Cancelo (22nd), or that of Fermin Lopez following a subtle control oriented in the area (37th).
Fermin scored points
Active but too unproductive for almost an hour, Barça was chomping at the bit for a long time, like Robert Lewandowski, too often clumsy in the last gesture (57th, 67th, 71st, 92nd). Gavi, author of a star-studded performance, could also have turned into a scorer, first from a corner where his header fled the Nyland post (58th), or on a beautiful half-volley with the left foot that was ultimately too much removed (70th).
In another register, it was the incoming Fermin Lopez who grabbed the pole held out by Xavi to score points. Entering shortly after the half-hour mark to replace Raphinha, who was out injured, the young Spaniard showed personality, showing himself enterprising with the ball. While the credit for Ramos’ own goal can be attributed to the prior work of Ferran Torres, Fermin’s presence also indirectly affected the defender’s behavior. Thanks to its victory, Barça regains its leadership throne to the detriment of Girona, who will host Real Madrid this Saturday.
