Spanish champions Barcelona suffered a shock 4-1 defeat at Sevilla on Sunday in La Liga, with former Barça forward Alexis Sánchez scoring and Robert Lewandowski missing a crucial penalty.
The Catalans, still reeling from their midweek Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain, were outplayed and disorganised throughout. The defeat marks their first of the league campaign and leaves them second in the table, two points behind leaders Real Madrid. Sevilla’s win lifts them provisionally to fourth.
Veteran winger Sánchez opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Ronald Araújo clumsily brought down Isaac Romero in the box. Romero, who had missed two earlier chances, doubled Sevilla’s lead with a composed finish from Rubén Vargas’s cutback.
Marcus Rashford gave Barcelona a lifeline just before halftime, volleying in Pedri’s cross to make it 2-1—his first La Liga goal. But Barça failed to capitalise after the break.
Lewandowski squandered a golden chance to equalise, dragging a penalty wide after Adnan Januzaj fouled Alejandro Balde in the area. It was a turning point in a match where Barcelona looked increasingly vulnerable.
Roony Bardghji had a chance to level but shot straight at the keeper, while Rashford was well-positioned for a tap-in had the ball been squared.
Sevilla punished Barça’s wastefulness late on. Full-back José Carmona fired in a low strike to make it 3-1, and Akor Adams sealed the emphatic win with a clinical finish.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick made changes at halftime, replacing Araújo and Gerard Martin with Eric García and Balde, but the Catalans remained disjointed and sluggish.
Despite boasting a less star-studded squad than in their heyday, Sevilla’s energy and discipline were enough to dismantle a disorganised Barça side—leaving serious questions for Flick after back-to-back defeats in Europe and La Liga.
