Barcelona did not have a good year in and out of the field. Xavi Hernandez’s team will want to forget the last match of the year on the field tomorrow night.
Barca could not win against Sevilla after playing with 10 people for almost half an hour. The Catalan club had to share the points in their last match of the year in a 1-1 draw.
Sevilla took the lead in the 32nd minute through Papu Gomez’s goal from Ivan Rakitic’s corner. Barca equalized in the last minute of the first half. Uruguay defender Ronald Araujo scored from Usman Dembele’s set piece.
After the break, Sevilla defender Yules Kunde suddenly lost his temper and saw a red card in the 64th minute. He threw the ball in the face of Barca leftback Jordi Alba. For the rest of the match, playing with 10 people, Barca could not score any more goals in the net of Sevilla. Sevilla’s Rafa Mir’s goal was also canceled due to offside.
Gavi and Dembele wasted one goal each in the second half. Gavi’s head missed and Dembele’s shot didn’t find the net. Sevilla’s goalposts were shaken and missed. However, the French forward was brilliant in the match. Dembele created four goal opportunities. Winning the match would have lifted Barca to the top four of the La Liga table for the first time since August.
Xavier’s team remained at 7 with 28 points in 16 matches. Winning the match was also important for Sevilla. With 36 points from 16 matches, the two teams could have increased the pressure on the top Real Madrid.
Real is at the top with 43 points in 16 matches. However, despite losing points, coach Xavi is satisfied with Barca ‘s style of play. “We have lost two points. We should have won with 11 against 11. Misfortune also befell. Dembele’s shot hit the post, Gavio was very close to the goal. But the style of playing Barca is coming out, that’s what I want. ‘
