FC Barcelona’s Joao Cancelo in motion with Sevilla’s Sergio Ramos through the La Liga match on September 29, 2023
| Photograph Credit score: Reuters
So lengthy the scourge of Barcelona, Sergio Ramos unwittingly got here to its help on Friday.
The previous Actual Madrid defender scored an personal purpose that handed Barcelona a 1-0 win over Sevilla and despatched the Catalan membership again to the highest of the Spanish league.
The veteran middle again inadvertently turned in a headed move by Lamine Yamal into Sevilla’s purpose within the 76th minute.
The 37-year-old Ramos returned to Sevilla, his boyhood membership, this month after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona’s followers jeered Ramos early within the sport due to his previous stint with Madrid, the place he performed 45 “clasico” video games in opposition to the Catalan membership between 2005-21.
After an evenly matched first half, Barcelona was urgent Sevilla into its field when the 16-year-old Lamal helped produce the breakthrough. Yamal was attempting to go a lobbed move by substitute Ferran Torres to teammate Fermin López when it hit Ramos and deflected into the web.
Throughout the sport, a video clip was performed on Spanish information web sites from a Barcelona vs. Madrid sport in 2016 when Ramos was accompanied onto the sector by Yamal when he was a younger boy.
“Circumstance of life,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández mentioned about Yamal and Ramos now taking part in in opposition to each other.
“Who would have predicted that Yamal could be taking part in him at age 16, and it’s to Sergio’s credit score that he’s nonetheless taking part in at this stage,” mentioned Xavi, who was Ramos’ rival at Barcelona and his teammate on the Spain group that received the 2010 World Cup. “Sergio is a good participant and he had a performed an amazing sport, however he was simply unfortunate.” This month, Yamal grew to become the youngest participant to attain in a European Championship qualifier and likewise grew to become the youngest participant to look for Spain.
The victory lifted Barcelona again on prime of the league desk. Barcelona leads Girona by one level and Madrid by two earlier than they play each other on Saturday.
Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic drew a leaping save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen within the sixteenth minute. The guests went nearer to scoring within the thirtieth, however Gavi Páez blocked the goal-bound shot by Lucas Ocampos.
“This Barcelona has a number of proficient gamers, and we simply weren’t in a position to defend them till the very finish,” mentioned Rakitic, whose Sevilla was left in twelfth place. “Now we have a number of little issues to enhance in order that these particulars that resolve matches can go our method.” Barcelona’s greatest probability within the first half got here within the twentieth when João Félix hit the woodwork after being arrange by João Cancelo.
Barcelona misplaced Brazil ahead Raphinha to an obvious leg harm within the first half. Fermin changed him and impressed as soon as once more after he scored his first purpose in opposition to Mallorca in a 2-2 draw midweek.
Prior the match, the executives of the 2 golf equipment clashed over the newest developments within the authorized investigation into the cost of thousands and thousands of {dollars} by Barcelona to a former vp of Spain’s refereeing committee between 2001-18.
On Thursday, the decide investigating the funds mentioned there have been indications that Barcelona might have tried to bribe the previous official, who was concerned in administering the referees. It was the newest blow to Barcelona’s status after state prosecutors made their preliminary accusations in opposition to the membership and its former executives in March.
Sevilla issued an announcement hours earlier than Friday’s sport “expressing its full indignation over the practices of Barcelona’s ex-executives.”
As a consequence, its representatives skipped the pre-game lunch with their Barcelona counterparts and refused to sit down within the dignitaries’ part on the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium.
Barcelona hit again with an announcement saying that it was severing official relations with Sevilla.
“The (case) can not function an excuse for the steps (Sevilla has taken) for the reason that case remains to be within the preliminary steps of its investigative part,” mentioned Barcelona, which has repeatedly claimed that the monies paid to the refereeing official had been for reviews on referee’s tendencies, to not affect their choices.
