Fermin Lopez had a dramatic impact on the match as he both scored and received a red card during a 15-minute period, helping Barcelona to secure a pivotal victory at Sevilla. This win narrowed the gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of La Liga to just two points.
The first half concluded with the score tied, but Lopez made an immediate difference after being substituted in, scoring with a precise header into the bottom corner on his very first touch. Unfortunately, his celebration was short-lived; he was soon shown a straight red card for a knee-high tackle on Djibril Sow following a VAR review.
Robert Lewandowski set the tone early in the match, netting his 19th goal of the season in the seventh minute by deftly finishing a header from Inigo Martinez. Just a minute later, Sevilla responded with an equalizer from Ruben Vargas, who capitalized on a pass from former Barcelona player Saul Niguez.
Shortly after Lopez’s goal, Sevilla thought they had taken the lead when they scored, but the goal was disallowed for offside. The home side also called for a penalty when Sow collided with Jules Kounde, but the referee remained unmoved.
Before Lopez’s dismissal, Raphinha extended Barcelona’s lead to 3-1 with a powerful shot from outside the area. The Catalan side further solidified their advantage late in the match when Eric Garcia found the net with a header at the back post.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid played to a 1-1 draw in their city derby on Saturday night, providing Barcelona with an opportunity to capitalize on the dropped points from both rivals.
