Raphinha's second straight hat-trick lifts Barcelona to win in Seville
Barcelona forward Raphinha scored three goals away against Sevilla, helping his side win 3:1 and keep their lead at the top of La Liga. It was his second consecutive hat-trick.
Sevilla surprised Barcelona with an early goal on Sunday but ultimately fell 1:3 to the league leaders.
The match opened in typical Barcelona fashion, with the visitors pressing forward from the first minutes. In the eighth minute, Lamine Yamal fired a dangerous shot, but home goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos tipped the ball away off the post.
The hosts responded quickly. In the 19th minute, Felix Correia's cross into the box was headed home by Youssef En-Nesyri, putting Sevilla ahead. The lead lasted only a few minutes: in the 22nd minute, Andreas Christensen threaded a precise pass to Raphinha, who skipped past his marker with a clever feint and finished into the far corner, leveling the score and reaching double figures for goals this season.
Near the end of the first half, Sevilla nearly retook the lead when En-Nesyri's shot in the 41st minute went just wide of the post.
Barcelona take control after the break
In the second half, Barcelona seized control of the game. In the 52nd minute, Yamal won the ball in the box under pressure and set up Raphinha, who headed in his second goal to make it 1:2. In the 69th minute, the Brazilian capped off a strong individual run by chipping the ball over the goalkeeper, sealing the 1:3 victory and completing his second consecutive hat-trick.
The match also marked the debut for Barcelona of new goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, the longtime Croatia international previously with Dinamo Zagreb. He saved two of the three shots he faced.
With the win, Barcelona remain unbeaten this season and hold their position at the top of the La Liga standings. Their next match comes on October 10 at home against Getafe.
