Barcelona moved clear at the top of the Primera División with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Sevilla at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Friday evening. The result extended their unbeaten run to eight matches and left them six points ahead of the visitors in second place after two rounds of play.
E. Brugts opened the scoring in the ninth minute, a goal that set the tone for what followed. By then it was clear Barcelona had come to control proceedings, and they did so with ease. C. Pina and M. Torrejon struck before the break at 45+2 and 45+5 respectively, while V. Lopez added a fourth in the 55th minute to make it 4-0.
The statistics told the story of a one-sided afternoon. Barcelona registered 165 attacks compared to Sevilla's 39, and their possession figure of 0.69 left the hosts with barely a third of the ball. It is not often you see shots accuracy of 0.43 to 0.33 in a match this lopsided, and here's the thing — Sevilla managed just two shots on target all afternoon.
To be fair, Barcelona made changes early in the second half. Six substitutions were made between the 60th and 81st minutes, with Alvarez, Redondo, Gili Giner, Pina, Lopez, Brugts, Martin-Pozuelo, Graham, Paredes and Perez all involved. The management team clearly wanted to rest their key players after such a commanding performance.
The result means Barcelona now sit top of the table with six points from two games, while Sevilla remain in 10th place with just three points. It is a stark contrast to their recent form — Sevilla had drawn their previous two matches before this defeat, while Barcelona had won both of their opening fixtures.
What stands out is not just the scoreline but the manner in which Barcelona dominated. They won 10 corners to none, made 699 passes to Sevilla's 331, and saw their goalkeeper make just two saves compared to five for the hosts. The match was decided in the first half, and the second period was merely a formality.
