A shocking 4-1 demolition at the hands of Sevilla has left Barcelona reeling, with the champions struggling to find their footing in La Liga.
The loss marks their first defeat of the campaign, leaving them two points behind bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Sevilla, on the other hand, rose to fourth place after a thrilling match that saw Alexis Sanchez score against his former side and Robert Lewandowski miss a penalty for Barcelona.
Barcelona midfielder Pedri Gonzalez was self-critical of his team’s performance, highlighting their struggles in defense and attack.
“We have to be self-critical… in the first half, we didn’t know how to defend well or attack well,” Pedri said.
“We have to watch it back, there are many things to improve… they beat us in intensity, winning basically all the duels.”
Pedri’s words echoed the sentiment that Sevilla’s energy and determination were too much for Barcelona to handle.
The hosts got off to a flying start, with Sanchez converting a penalty after Ronald Araujo’s clumsy challenge on Isaac Romero.
Romero then doubled Sevilla’s lead with a clinical finish, despite having missed two earlier chances.
Marcus Rashford pulled a goal back for Barcelona before halftime with a stunning volley, but Lewandowski’s penalty miss proved costly for the visitors.
Despite the loss, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was pleased with his team’s reaction in the second half.
“I know that we have to analyze everything, especially in the first half… but in the second, for me to see the reaction of the team and them fighting was good to see,” Flick said.
“It’s one match and we lost it, and we have to keep going on.”
Flick’s comments suggest that Barcelona is looking to bounce back from this setback and continue their title pursuit.
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