Highlights: Sevilla 2-2 Barcelona; League leaders let two-goal lead slip away
La Liga leaders FC Barcelona let a two-goal lead go against Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in an absolutely absorbing game. Lionel Messi and Neymar had taken Barcelona to an advantageous position, before Ever Banega’s goal in the first half and Kevin Gameiro’s late equalizer denied Barcelona the three points.
Earlier in the day, Real Madrid had reduced Barca’s lead at the top to 1 point with a 3-0 win at home against Eibar. In reply, the Catalans failed to re-establish the 4-point lead and despite going up 2-0, failed to seal off the match and now lead Los Blancos by just 2 points.
Unai Emery named an expected line-up for the league leaders’ visit with in-form striker Carlos Bacca leading the line. Luis Enrique opted to start without Javier Mascherano and Xavi with Luis Suarez up front and Messi and Neymar flanking the Uruguayan.
Argentinian superstar, Lionel Messi, was in the thick of things from the start itself as he helped himself to a goal, curling the ball into the top corner after Neymar had found him just outside the box. The Brazilian didn’t want to be left behind and stepped up to take a free-kick in the 31st minute. His right-footed shot curled in the top left corner of the goal to double the away side’s advantage.
The first half an hour was all Barcelona and fans could have been forgiven for thinking that Sevilla hadn’t turned up for the match. However, in the 38th minute, Argentinian midfielder Ever Banega halved the home team’s deficit by hitting a powerful shot from distance beyond Claudio Bravo.
The game did not let up in intensity in the second half as Sevilla pushed forward in the hunt for an equalizer, but the Barca defence stood firm. The second half looked a complete contrast to the first, as Sevilla finally gave the home crowd to shout about by keeping the ball and constantly pegging the La Liga leaders back to their own half.
Tackles started flying in as the game entered the final half an hour and a 5-minute spell saw Banega, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique enter the referee’s book. With the game getting stretched, Barcelona had a couple of chances to put the game beyond any doubt, but some wayward finishing from Suarez and lack of cohesion in the final third prevented them from making it 3-1.
Emery introduced Gameiro and former Arsenal star Jose Antonio Reyes and the substitutes had a major say at the end of the game. Reyes found Aleix Vidal in a lightning-fast counter-attack in the 84th minute after a mistake by Pique. Vidal squared the ball across the face of goal, where the waiting-Gameiro easily passed the ball into the back of the net.
The final moments of the game saw both teams look for the winner, but eventually, Emery and Enrique had to be satisfied with their sides sharing the spoils in this entertaining match.