La Liga 2018/19: 3 reasons why Barcelona beat Sevilla
Barcelona were hopeful for a victory against Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, unlike their last Copa Del Rey outing which they lost 2-0. The Blaugrana gave away possession in cheap areas and paid the price when Sevilla's skipper Jesus Navas found the back of the net in a quick counter-attack.
The lead did not last for four minutes when Lionel Messi struck a thunderous volley to give no chance of getting any hands to the goalkeeper. Ernesto Valverde's side defence went for a walk yet again when Gabriel Mercado sliced one past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
The script was totally different in the second half. The visitors looked unconvincing and struggled for the final deliveries. But, when Ousmane Dembele came on, he set up Lionel Messi who took the shot with his weaker foot to launch the ball into the back of the net.
They kept on piling pressure on Sevilla's defence and eventually got the lead in the 85th minute. Lionel Messi was the man yet again, and he scored when the ball ricochets off a Sevilla defender. Luis Suarez bagged one during injury time to keep the points lead intact.
Barcelona are 10 and 12 points above Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, respectively, in the League table respectively. Whereas, Getafe leapfrog Sevilla to the fourth spot currently.
In this article, we shall look at three reasons for Barcelona's 4-2 victory over Sevilla.
Also see : Womens World Cup Bracket, Copa America Standings, Gold Cup Standings
#1 Lionel Messi's individual brilliance
If there was one man who could have won this game singlehandedly, it will be Lionel Messi. The Argentine put in an extraordinary performance to come to Barcelona's rescue yet again by securing a hat-trick which proved to be the ultimate difference at the end.
Just when the Blaugrana looked out of ideas, Ivan Rakitic found Lionel Messi inside the penalty box. The rest of the players were just told to sit back and enjoy that moment when he thundered a venomous volley in the 26th minute.
During the second half, he used his weaker foot to find the top right-hand corner to equalize the score for the second time. He was alert enough to divert the ball to complete a well-deserved hat-trick.
Apart from scoring three and setting up one for Luis Suarez, his overall game was phenomenal. Whenever he touched the ball, there was total anxiety in the stadium.