Barcelona’s unbeaten run in La Liga came to a painful end on Sunday as they suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, marking one of the worst performances under manager Hansi Flick.
The Catalans, who entered the match in fine form, were outplayed from start to finish by a spirited Sevilla side that exploited every weakness in their setup.
The hosts opened scoring in the 14th minute through Alexis Sánchez, who converted a controversial penalty after Isaac Romero went down under minimal contact from Ronald Araujo.
Sevilla continued to dominate and doubled their advantage in the 37th minute when Rubén Vargas broke through the defense and set up Romero for an easy tap-in, leaving Barcelona chasing shadows.
Marcus Rashford gave Barça a lifeline just before halftime, volleying home a fine cross from Pedri to make it 2-1, but hopes of a comeback faded in the second half as the team failed to build momentum.
Robert Lewandowski missed a crucial penalty in the 75th minute that could have drawn the visitors level, and Barcelona were punished late on. José Ángel Carmona restored Sevilla’s two-goal lead in the 90th minute before Akor Adams added a fourth in stoppage time to seal a stunning victory for the Andalusians.
The defeat sees Barcelona drop from the top of the table heading into the international break, with Flick admitting his side were second-best on the day.
“We played far below our level and allowed Sevilla too much space. It’s a painful loss, but one we must learn from,” Flick reportedly said after the match.
Sevilla’s win lifts them into mid-table, while Barcelona now face pressure to regroup quickly with tougher fixtures ahead.
