Barcelona take control at Sevilla as Raphinha nets hat-trick — Flick surprises with Livaković start
FC Barcelona extended their control over Sevilla in Saturday's La Liga clash, with Raphinha's hat-trick making it 1-3, while coach Hansi Flick surprised by starting Dominik Livaković instead of Wojciech Szczęsny in goal.
Livaković starts ahead of Szczęsny
On Saturday, September 19, FC Barcelona traveled to Sevilla's Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán for La Liga's seventh matchday. Ahead of kickoff, head coach Hansi Flick surprised many by starting Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković instead of veteran Pole Wojciech Szczęsny, even though most pre-match previews had expected Szczęsny to deputize for injured starter Joan García, who suffered a knee problem in the previous 7-2 win over Racing Santander. Flick explained the choice simply: "We needed a change." The lineup also featured changes, with Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López and Anthony Gordon starting.
Match and score
According to Eurosport's live commentary, Barcelona took firm control of the match — in the 69th minute, Brazilian forward Raphinha completed his hat-trick (assisted by Lamine Yamal), his 14th goal of the season across all competitions, making it 1-3. Notably, Eurosport's page headline showed a score of 1-1, while the commentary text indicates 1-3 — the exact final score is not confirmed in the available sources, as the last recorded event in the live text was in the 86th minute, when Livaković saved a Sevilla shot. Raphinha was substituted for Karim Adeyemi in the 76th minute, and Flick made further changes, bringing on Gabriel Jesus, Marc Bernal and Dani Olmo. Sevilla coach Luis García Plaza made five substitutions in an attempt to change the course of the match.
Before the game, Sports Illustrated predicted a 3-1 Barcelona win, noting the team had scored 28 goals in six La Liga matches and 33 in seven games across all competitions this season — a record unmatched by Barcelona in 100 years. Sevilla entered the match in 4th place with four wins from six games, led in scoring by Miguel Sierra.
Context: a return from injury
Alongside the goalkeeper question, another notable storyline this season is the return of Danish defender Andreas Christensen after a long injury absence — he missed 158 days following a partial ACL tear in December 2025, and recently played a full 90 minutes in a 5-1 Champions League win over Feyenoord, which Spanish outlet Sport described as a significant turning point in his form. Christensen's contract was extended over the summer through 2028.
