Barcelona 6-1 Sevilla: Report, Ratings and Reaction as Blaugrana Bounce Back in Copa del Rey
Barcelona advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey for the ninth straight season after they thrashed Sevilla 6-1 in the second leg of their quarter-final tie.
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Barcelona put in a performance that merited nothing less than victory thanks to a brace from Philippe Coutinho, as well as goals either side of half-time for Ivan Rakitic and Sergi Roberto, before two late strikes from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi put the tie to bed.
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The hosts got off to the perfect start, taking the lead after just 13 minutes through a Philippe Coutinho penalty. Sevilla then had a chance to equalise with a penalty of their own, but Ever Banega's effort was spectacularly saved by Jasper Cillessen.
No sooner had Sevilla missed the chance to score before Barcelona drew level on aggregate.
An excellent ball from Arthur picked out the diagonal run of Ivan Rakitic, the Croatian able to poke the ball beyond the despairing reach of Soriano, although Rakitic did not appear to know too much about his final touch.
Coutinho then scored his second of the game with a fine header following a wonderfully measured chip into the box by Luis Suarez. Sergi Roberto then made it 4-0 when he finished into the far corner, after a wonderful reverse pass by Messi that took out three Sevilla defenders.
Cillessen turned from hero to villain when his poor clearance gave Sevilla possession, with the ball finding its way to Guilherme Arana. The Brazilian thundered the ball home from 20 yards to give the Hispalenses some hope.
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However, Barcelona ruthlessly quashed any chances of a shock upset in the final moments when Suarez, then Messi were on hand to finish wonderful counter-attacking moves and secure an emphatic win for Barcelona.
Check out our breakdown of the game below.
BARCELONA
Key Talking Point
Coming into the game under intense pressure after trailing 2-0 from the first-leg, Ernesto Valverde's players responded with a clinical performance that keeps their hopes of winning a fifth straight Copa del Rey alive.
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Valverde's policy of heavily rotating his squad in the competition had led to heavy criticism from the media. Therefore, the first-leg defeat may have been a blessing in disguise for the Barcelona manager as it almost forced him to pick a full-strength squad for Tuesday night's return leg.
It was an almost faultless display from the Blaugrana, as they barely allowed Sevilla a chance to get back into the game once the visitors had spurned their golden chance from the penalty spot.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Cillessen (7); S. Roberto (7), Pique (7), Lenglet (6), Alba (7); Rakitic (7), Busquets (6), Arthur (7); Messi (9*), L. Suarez (8), Coutinho (8).
Substitutes: Semedo (6), Vidal (6), Aleña (N/A).
STAR MAN
Lionel Messi was at his brilliant best against Sevilla on Tuesday night.
He showcased his outlandish range of passing with some exquisite touches, notably for Sergi Roberto's goal when he took out three defenders with a ridiculous reverse pass.
The Argentine then managed to get his name on the scoresheet, before playing his part in the sixth goal with a lung-busting run down the right flank. Messi was the creator of a wonderful team move that even saw a flick from Gerard Pique allow Luis Suarez to put the icing on the cake for Barcelona.
WORST PLAYER
It really was one of those games where everything that Barcelona tried, it worked a treat. As a result, it would be harsh to single out any one player for performing below expectations.
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Sergio Busquets had a relatively quiet evening, but even he played an important part in the contest by not allowing Sevilla any time on the ball in the centre of midfield.
Overall, Ernesto Valverde will be ecstatic with his players' response to a test that could have presented more problems than the final scoreline suggested, having lost in the first leg. It was a simply stunning show from Barça, who reminded the footballing world that they are a delight to watch.
Looking Ahead
Barcelona will be looking to continue their superb goal-scoring form when they welcome Valencia to Camp Nou in La Liga on Saturday.
Sevilla will be hoping to return to winning ways in their next match sees them travel to Celta Vigo later that day.
