Raphinha Shines as Barcelona Defeats Sevilla 3-1
Barcelona’s perfect league run survived its sternest test yet, and it did so with style, noise and a Brazilian No 9 who looks unstoppable.
Raphinha rips Sevilla apart
At the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Sevilla struck first. In the 19th minute, Youssouf Fofana punished Barcelona, finishing to ignite the home crowd and briefly rattle Hansi Flick’s side.
The response was ruthless.
Just three minutes later, Andreas Christensen split the lines with a sharp ball into the final third, and Raphinha did the rest, levelling with a composed finish that instantly sucked the energy out of the stands. From that moment, Barcelona seized control and never really let go.
They pinned Sevilla back, circulated the ball with authority and repeatedly sliced through on the break. The early deficit felt like a distant memory long before half-time.
The pressure finally told again after the interval. Raphinha, now fully embracing his new central role, found space, found angles and found the net. Twice. His second-half brace completed a superb hat-trick and turned a tricky away trip into another statement win, sealing a 3-1 comeback and preserving Barça’s flawless domestic start.
Seven league games, 12 league goals for Raphinha. Those are centre-forward numbers. And that is exactly what Flick has turned him into.
Life after Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres left in the summer, and with them went a huge chunk of Barcelona’s established firepower. Flick didn’t replace like-for-like; he reimagined the attack.
Raphinha, once a touchline winger, now wears the responsibility of a No 9 and looks liberated by it. Across all competitions, he already has 14 goals and three assists in just eight matches. The numbers are outrageous, but the rhythm is even more striking: he has now delivered back-to-back hat-tricks in the space of 72 hours.
The first came in a 7-2 demolition of Racing. The second arrived here, in a hostile stadium, against a Sevilla side that thought it had the game exactly where it wanted after Fofana’s opener. Raphinha tore that script up.
His movement dragged centre-backs out of position. His finishing was cold. His confidence, unmistakable.
Yamal sparks, back line holds firm
Barcelona’s attacking flair was matched by a defensive maturity that will please Flick almost as much as the goals.
Dominik Livakovic, making his debut in goal, looked assured. He read Sevilla’s efforts cleanly, dealt with the shots that did come his way and gave the backline a calm presence behind them.
That backline, led by Pau Cubarsí and Eric Garcia, tightened up rapidly after the early blow. They squeezed space, cut out passing lanes and left Sevilla feeding on half-chances. Once Fofana’s strike went in, the hosts rarely carved out anything truly clear-cut.
There was one concern: Christensen limped off in the second half with a thigh problem. His early pass had sparked the equaliser; his absence now hands Flick an unwelcome fitness question in an otherwise near-perfect night.
On the flanks, Lamine Yamal was relentless. The teenager stretched Sevilla’s shape, repeatedly drove at Odysseas Vlachodimos’ goal and delivered two crucial assists for Raphinha. Every time he isolated his full-back, the stadium braced itself. Sevilla never really solved him.
As the minutes ticked by, Barcelona’s collective superiority told. The press, the rotations, the confidence in possession – it all smothered the hosts. The 3-1 scoreline felt like an accurate reflection of the gap that opened up after the equaliser.
Top of La Liga, eyes on what’s next
The win keeps Barcelona clear at the top of La Liga with 21 points from 21. The numbers are clean, the performances increasingly convincing.
Flick now has a brief window to assess Christensen’s thigh and fine-tune a side that suddenly looks both ruthless and balanced. Getafe await on October 10 in the league, before attention swings to a pivotal Champions League clash with Galatasaray on October 13.
Barcelona have found a new focal point in Raphinha and a defensive backbone to match. If this is only the opening chapter of their season, how far can this version of Barça go?
