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Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Saturday, 09 Feb
Competition: ???label.competicio0???
Stadium: Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Sevilla

Resultat:

Sevilla CF: 1
FC Barcelona: 1

Match report

Match Report
Pre-Match

Match Report

Edmílson fights for the ball with Sevilla striker Kanouté.

Iniesta breaks away from Alves in midfield.

Xavi celebrates making it 1-1 in the 75th minute.

More info

Goals

1-0 Capel (34')
1-1 Xavi (75')

An encouraging draw (1-1)

Jordi Clos

With commitment and a desire to win, Barça managed a draw in the always difficult Sevilla stadium. In a great second half for the azulgrana side, Xavi cancelled out the earlier goal by Diego Capel.

Like in the King’s Cup game almost exactly a month ago in the Sánchez Pizjuán, Sevilla and Barça once again drew one all. This time, however, the draw doesn’t really satisfy Frank Rijkaard’s side. Yes, in the first half the Andalusian side could have gone in at half time with a greater advantage, but Barça came out for the restart gunning for victory. They managed to equalise and leave Sevilla with ten men and calling for the whistle. They were only lacking the killer blow.

Cup in the background

Barça began well with similar tactics that saw them draw in the cup match in the Pizjuán. The midfield, made up of Edmílson and Xavi in the centre, with Iniesta and Giovani on the wings, controlled the game. Indeed, the first goal opportunity was Barça’s – a shot by Messi inside the area which Palop saved comfortably. In the early exchanges Sevilla pressure came mainly through Daniel Alves’ free kicks.

Home dominance – Capel

Barça were combining well. In one of their best team moves, Giovani dos Santos almost opened the scoring, being denied by the keeper (20'). From the half hour on, though, things started to change. Luis Fabiano and Kanouté sent warnings with two clear chances, kept out by Valdés. The Andalusians kept pushing and were rewarded in the 34th minute when Diego Capel slid in to connect with Jesús Navas’ lethal cross to open the scoring.

Xavi gets equaliser

Rijkaard tried to change the dynamic of the game by making a double substitution after the break, replacing Thuram and Edmílson with Márquez and Ronaldinho. And it worked because from the restart Sevilla were camped in their own half. The visitors took the initiative while Manolo Jiménez’s side started defending much deeper and looked to counter attack. Xavi looked for an equaliser with two shots from the edge of the area which he pulled wide. But he finally got there in the 75th minute when the game was looking like it could go either way. The number 6 latched on to a brilliant Messi pass and poked the ball past Palop.

Persistence without success

Not long after, the Argentinian brought about the second yellow card for Keita. With a numerical advantage Barça’s dominance intensified. With commitment and desire they were camped in their opponent’s half and were a whisker from victory when the ball crossed the line on one occasion and then in the last second when Palop kept out Ronaldinho’s free kick. In the end Sevilla held out thanks to constant time wasting which slowed down Barça’s frenetic pace and prevented a richly deserved victory in a great second half.

Preview

First of three away trips

The game at the Sánchez Pizjuán is the first of three tricky road trips for Barça, who next have to travel to Zaragoza (Liga) and Glasgow (Champions League). But it is refreshing to know that Barça seem to have finally found their form away from the Camp Nou, and have not lost as the visiting side in either the league or cup since going down to Getafe three months ago. May the good run continue in Seville tonight...

Big test for Barça

Roger Bogunyà

Tonight Barça appear at the Sánchez Pizjuán (22:00, TV3, La Sexta and Radio Barça) in an absolutely crucial encounter. They face Sevilla, who they recently put out of the cup, but with 9 players out and points needed more than ever.

There may still be plenty of games ahead, but the 90 minutes in Seville tonight could bear an awful lot of meaning on the eventual outcome of the league championship. Rijkaard’s side can only afford to win and that way put considerable pressure on Real Madrid, who entertain Valladolid on Sunday. A win despite having so many players unavailable and at such a difficult ground would be the kind of psychological boost Barça need right now. But defeat would leave Madrid open to the opportunity of going back into a hefty nine point lead. So, these are 90 very important minutes for everybody who holds Barça in their hearts.

Major losses

It is exactly one month since Barça were last in the Andalusian capital, where they drew 1-1 in the cup. But this time it’s the league, a very different competition, and with very different players on the pitch. Barça travel to the Sánchez Pizjuán with nine players unavailable through injury and international duty, while Sevilla are boosted by the returns of Kanouté and Keita. Their only major concern is covering for Mosquera, who was sent off in the last match and therefore sits this one out.

Going for victory

These missing faces have obliged Frank Rijkaard to turn to the reserves in search of replacements, who curiously enough all answer to the name of Victor: Víctor Espasandín, Víctor Sánchez and Víctor Vázquez. These have all been called in to substitute the last minute losses of Zambrotta, Bojan and Deco.

Pressure on the top

But Barça have to overcome all those concerns and simply make sure they go out and get the job done against last year’s UEFA Cup champions. A win would close the gap on Real Madrid to three points, pending what happens tomorrow when the leaders take on Valladolid. Barça of course bagged a late win against Osasuna last week, and closed the gap to six points thanks to Madrid’s loss in Almería a day earlier.