April 04, (THEWILL) – Pedri’s second-half goal gave Barcelona a 1-0 victory over Sevilla at the Camp Nou, moving them into second position in La Liga.
The hosts made a solid start, and Frenkie de Jong came close to opening the scoring, when he met Ousmane Dembele’s cross early on, but his header went over the bar.
As the first half progressed, Barcelona continued to dominate, although they averted a penalty scare when Anthony Martial’s cross struck Ronald Aruajo’s arm in the area. The referee, fortunately for La Blaugrana, seemed uninterested in making it punishable.
Pedri and Ferran Torres then failed to convert half-chances, and Sevilla had plenty of possession, but failed to create any serious chances.
On the stroke of half-time, the home team’s finest chance of the first period occurred. A mistake by their opponents gave Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a free shot at goal, and he went for it, but was thwarted by a fantastic save from Bono.
Early in the second half, Sevilla forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a save, with Erik Lamela’s low drive being stopped low by the German following some shaky Barca defending that will worry manager Xavi Hernandez a little, with his taste for excellence.
After great wing-play from Dembele, Torres stung Bono’s palms with a first-time effort just past the hour mark. A few minutes later, the former Manchester City striker squandered an even better opportunity, sending his shot from inside the box over the crossbar.
The action continued with former Barça player Ivan Rakitic’s free kick kissing the top of the net on its way into the fans’ stands and Gerard Pique’s header hitting the woodwork.
Barcelona’s pressure eventually paid off, with Pedri scoring the winner in the 72nd minute with a fantastic strike. Displaying some deft agility, the teenager controlled Dembele’s cross on the edge of the box, sat down two Sevilla players, and then selected his place in the bottom corner.
Dembele continued to cause mayhem, almost setting up a goal with a cross to Torres, whose soaring header was clawed away by Bono.
Sevilla fought to the finish, and Ludwig Augustinsson thought he had equalised in stoppage time, only to be denied by a flying Ter Stegen, who had just flapped at a cross moments before.
Barcelona held on to earn a tremendously impressive victory after surviving this late scare, making them the favourites to finish second in Spain this season. They are 12 whole points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Sevilla drops to fourth place, one point behind Atletico Madrid on goal difference. With several key players still out injured and the quality of their performance in this game, their fight to finish in and among La Liga’s top three will only get tougher.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
