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Spanish champions Barcelona suffered a stunning 4-1 defeat at Sevilla on Sunday in La Liga, with Alexis Sánchez scoring against his former club and Robert Lewandowski missing a crucial penalty.
The loss, Barcelona’s first of the season, leaves the Catalans two points behind rivals Real Madrid, while Sevilla climb provisionally to fourth place.
Sánchez, the veteran Chilean winger, put Sevilla ahead early from the penalty spot, following a clumsy challenge by Ronald Araújo in the box.
Isaac Romero added a second after previously missing two excellent opportunities, as Sevilla capitalised on Barcelona’s disorganised and sluggish display.
Marcus Rashford pulled a goal back for the visitors in stoppage time of the first half, but Lewandowski’s penalty miss denied Barcelona a chance to level.
Jose Carmona and Akor Adams completed the emphatic win in the closing stages, leaving Hansi Flick’s side to reflect on an unusually heavy defeat.
Barcelona midfielder Pedri Gonzalez described the first-half performance as “horrendous” and said the team must be self-critical.
Flick defended his side, highlighting their improved second-half display: “It’s one match, and we lost it, and we have to keep going on,” he told reporters. The Catalans were still recovering from a midweek Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and were without injured teenage star Lamine Yamal.
Sevilla dominated in energy and intensity, exploiting Barcelona’s defensive frailties. Romero’s second goal came after a precise cutback from Ruben Vargas, while Rashford’s first La Liga goal offered Barcelona a glimmer of hope.
A second-half penalty for the visitors, awarded after Adnan Januzaj fouled Alejandro Balde, saw Lewandowski fail from the spot, firing wide after stuttering in his run-up.
Roony Bardghji and Rashford also failed to capitalise on late chances.
Sevilla coach Matías Almeyda praised his team’s performance, saying, “I’m very happy for the victory, we needed to win at home. We couldn’t give them a metre of space… we knew what we had to do and we are on a good path.”
