Barcelona vs Sevilla: Raphinha, Cancelo shine, Akor Adams, Ejuke struggle as Blaugrana get sweet revenge

Raphinha's hat-trick and Joao Cancelo's incredible wing play spurred Barcelona on to an emphatic 5-2 victory against lukewarm Sevilla.

With Lamine Yamal rested, Raphinha stepped up, scoring hattrick. Two of his three goals came via penalties won by Joao Cancelo, who himself scored later in the game. Dani Olmo was the other scorer for Barcelona in the 5-2 rout, with Oso and Djibril Sow both getting Los Nervionenses goals.

The victory helped Barcelona reopen a four-point gap on Real Madrid after Los Blancos reduced the deficit with their own romp of Elche. The victory colours an already auspicious day in which Barcelona members are voting for a new president, and the return of Gavi after a lengthy layoff.

Barcelona set the tempo early and were rewarded as early as the 8th minute when Cancelo surged into the penalty area and was illegally brought down by Djibril Sow, prompting referee Juan Martínez Munuera to point to the spot. 

Raphinha stepped up and audaciously executed a 'Panenka' penalty, completely deceiving goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos to open the scoring. 

Cancelo remained a constant menace, and his dangerous dribble into the box soon resulted in a handball by a grounded José Ángel Carmona. Following a VAR review to confirm the infraction, Raphinha assumed responsibility once more in the 21st minute, confidently converting his second spot-kick of the afternoon to double the advantage.

Barcelona continued to dictate the tempo and effectively put the game out of reach before halftime. In the 38th minute, Dani Olmo capped off a fluid, sweeping team move by firing home from close range, after a cutback from Marc Bernal.

Facing a daunting 3-0 deficit, Sevilla finally showed signs of life deep into first-half stoppage time; Juanlu Sánchez delivered an inviting cross toward the back post, allowing Oso to arrive perfectly and bundle the ball into the net to give the visitors a glimmer of hope heading into the interval.

Super Eagles forward Akor Adams battled valiantly against Pau Cubarsí and the Barcelona defence throughout the contest but was starved of clear-cut service as the hosts monopolised possession and was subbed off at half-time.

Any thoughts of a dramatic Sevilla comeback were swiftly extinguished shortly after the restart. In the 51st minute, Raphinha collected the ball inside the penalty area and produced a clinical finish to complete his hat-trick and restore Barcelona's three-goal cushion. 

The visitors managed to grab a late consolation goal in the dying moments, when Oso turned provider, delivering a precise cross for Djibril Sow to connect with a powerful header from the centre of the area, sealing the 5-2 scoreline.

This emphatic 5-2 victory helped Barcelona exact revenge on Sevilla after Mathias Almeyda’s side handed them their first LALIGA defeat of the season, a 4-1 loss.