Sevilla 0-2 Barcelona: Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele strike in huge win over title rivals as Ronald Koeman’s men move two points behind leaders Atletico and extend unbeaten league run to 15 games

  • Lionel Messi scored a brilliant late goal as Barcelona won 2-0 at Sevilla to rise to second in LaLiga on Saturday
  • The striker set up Ousmane Dembele’s opener and struck with five minutes to play to seal an important win
  • Barcelona leapfrogged Real Madrid with the result and extended their unbeaten run in LaLiga to 15 matches
  • Barca are now two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, although Messi’s side have played two games more

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Hold the plans to bury Barcelona’s season, they are still alive and kicking in the title race and up to second. Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele got the goals as they beat Sevilla to go above them in the table.

They also move above Real Madrid and are now just two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid. Okay, so Atleti have two games in hand of them; and Real Madrid don’t play until Monday and will move back above them if they beat Real Sociedad.

And if injuries to Pedri and Ronald Araujo are as bad as they looked then the problems for Ronald Koeman have not gone away. But this was a huge, well-earned win capped by Lionel Messi getting his 19th goal of the season in La Liga half-juggling, half-bundling the ball around the Sevilla defence and past Bono.

Lionel Messi (second from left) scores the second goal with five minutes remaining as Barcelona win 2-0 at Sevilla in La Liga

The Barca striker celebrates as his side extend their impressive unbeaten run in LaLiga to 15 matches and move into second

 The Barca striker celebrates as his side extend their impressive unbeaten run in LaLiga to 15 matches and move into second

Barcelona started well and were first to go close when Frenkie de Jong raced away on 20 minutes and released Dembele whose cross-shot was saved by Bono.

Messi then tried to catch out Bono at his near post with a shot from a free-kick that everyone expected him to cross.

Ivan Rakitic reacted badly to a late challenge from Oscar Mingueza. Sergio Busquets had to intervene as the former Barcelona midfielder confronted Barça’s young defender. Barcelona had the upper hand and the goal was not long in coming.

Messi found himself in space on the halfway line on 29 minutes and he lifted his head and spotted Dembele ready to sprint clear.

Forward Ousmane Dembele (right) fires ruthlessly beyond Yassine Bounou to give Barcelona the ideal start after 29 minutes

Forward Ousmane Dembele (right) fires ruthlessly beyond Yassine Bounou to give Barcelona the ideal start after 29 minutes

Dembele wheels away to take the plaudits after putting Barca on their way to going above Real Madrid in the LaLiga standings

Dembele wheels away to take the plaudits after putting Barca on their way to going above Real Madrid in the LaLiga standings

Messi’s pass was perfectly weighted and with Jules Kounde playing his compatriot onside he sprinted clear and shot low past Bono. Koeman clelebrated in his technical area.

He had changed his system to 3-5-2 with Dembele playing centrally alongside Messi leaving advanced full-backs Sergino Dest and Jordi Alba to provide the width. From that central position Dembele had given Barcelona the lead.

MATCH FACTS

SEVILLA (4-3-3): Bono; Navas, Diego Carlos (Rekik 45), Kounde, Escudero; Fernando, Jordan, Rakitic (Rodriguez 63); Papu Gomez (Fernandez Saez 45), Munir (En-Nesyri 45), De Jong (Torres 63).

Subs not used: Vaclik, Gnagnon, Gomez, Gudelj, Rodriguez, Vidal, Vazquez, Diaz.

Booked: Diego Carlos, Rekik, Escudero, Fernando, Jordan.

Scorers: None. 

BARCELONA  (5-2-1-2): Ter Stegen; Dest, Mingueza, Pique (Araujo 67; Umtiti 82), Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, De Jong; Pedri (Ilaix 71); Dembele (Braithwaite 82), Messi.

Subs not used: Griezmann, Puig, Murara Neto, Machado Trincao, Fernandes Siqueira, Firpo, Pena.

Scorers: Dembele (29), Messi (85)

Booked: Messi, Dembele. 

 

 

Dembele almost set-up the second squaring to Messi who found De Jong who was forced too wide and provided a cross that no one could get on the end of.

Barcelona had enjoyed a good first half but they could have lost Messi to a red card before the break. He was harshly booked for a foul on Fernando. Replays showed he made no contact with his opponent but that the Brazilian caught him on the back of the calf.

But then, having been yellow carded, he put and arm on Kounde as the French defender got away from him and Sevilla players urged the referee to show the second caution.

The Sevilla bench protested so much that coach Julen Lopetegui was shown the yellow card.

The Sevilla coach wasn’t just upset with the decision; he was unhappy with his team’s performance and there were three changes at the break with Karim Rekik replacing Diego Carlos, Suso replacing Papu Gomez, and Youssef En-Nesyri replacing Munir El Haddadi.

Barcelona did not make changes but Ronald Araujo padded up to warm-up, the Uruguayan defender back after his ankle injury.

Rekik was almost immediately booked for a double foul in midfield. And Barcelona stayed on the attack. The inspired Dembele put De Jong in behind and his cross was millimeters from being turned in by Jordi Alba.

Dest then went closer, but still not close enough. He shook the frame of the goal with a shot that came off the post after a sweeping move in which they took the ball from left to right and then back to the left.

Dembele was playing like the 100m euros plus player they thought they were signing four seasons ago. He sprinted clear once more and this time teed-up Messi who blazed his shot over the top.

Lopetegui shuffled his pack once more making his final two permitted changes on the hour. Lenglet then headed a Messi free-kick past Bono but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Sevilla were still struggling to get into the game but they were done a favour on 70 minutes when Pedri went down holding his ankle and had to go off. ilaix Moriba came on.

Youssef En Nesyri (left) had a late equaliser ruled out and was denied this penalty shout when he went down in the box

Youssef En Nesyri (left) had a late equaliser ruled out and was denied this penalty shout when he went down in the box

With Sevilla pushing for a equaliser, Barcelona's Mr Reliable came up with the goods to wrap up the points in the 85th minute

With Sevilla pushing for a equaliser, Barcelona’s Mr Reliable came up with the goods to wrap up the points in the 85th minute

The last ten minutes were frantic as En-Nesyri scored and had the goal ruled out because he handled as he turned. He then went down for a penalty but was told not to dive.

Barcelona lost Araujo to injury and he kicked over a row of seats as he walked off the pitch frustrated twisting the same ankle that had kept him out for three weeks.

Barcelona made the most of the interruption in play to further break Sevilla’s rhythm and Dembele was booked for leaving the pitch too slowly when replaced by Martin Braithwaite.

Koeman’s team looked to be hanging on but there was to be no nervous period of injury time as Messi got the second after a neat assist from Ilaix.

There will still plenty to do to beat Bono but he did it brilliant and moved Barcelona back to second place in La Liga.