Barcelona 3-0 (3-2 on agg.) Sevilla
Barcelona are into the 2021 Copa del Rey final after a pulsating clash at the Camp Nou ended in a 3-2 aggregate win over nine-man Sevilla.
An early strike by Ousmane Dembele threw this tie wide open, but it looked like Sevilla would hold out until Gerard Pique scored with a header, deep into injury time, to tee up Martin Braithwaite’s extra-time winner.
Sevilla ended up with nine men after picking up two late red cards and missed a penalty, so it could have been a very different story. Julen Lopetegui’s side are riding high in fourth place in La Liga, and they will bounce back. But the Copa del Rey 2021 betting odds say the Blaugrana are heading for silverware.
Highlights of the game
Dembele scored in Barca’s 2-0 La Liga win over Sevilla at the weekend and he looked hungry for more goals against the Andalusians. With just six minutes gone he took a pass from Pedri and fired a shot just over.
But that was merely a sighter for the France forward, and when he had a sight of goal from outside the penalty area he hit a beauty into the top left corner to give the Catalans a 12th-minute lead.
Sevilla came into the game in good form despite the loss to Barca on Sunday, and they came out on the attack in response. Aleix Vidal took aim from distance and brought a fine save from Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, and then Joan Jordan had a shot charged down after good work from Suso.
Just on the half-hour, Pedri was inches away for Barcelona with a shot direct from a corner, and then Lionel Messi had a shot from close range blocked.
Lopetegui made early changes in the second half, including bringing on star man Lucas Ocampos in an attempt to force an equaliser to kill the tie. But it was Barca who came within a whisker of a second goal when Jordi Alba took a pass from Dembele and smashed his shot against the crossbar. And then Sevilla keeper Tomas Vaclik made a superb save as Antoine Griezmann’s low shot looked destined for the bottom corner.
With 20 minutes remaining, Sevilla were handed a golden chance when Ocampos was fouled by Oscar Mingueza and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. The Argentine striker climbed to his feet to take the kick but Ter Stegen made a terrific save low in the corner to keep the Blaugrana in the game.
Dembele looked the most likely Barca player to score a second but he fired one over from outside the penalty area, and then when Messi crossed Ilaix Moriba got his head to the ball but Sevilla got bodies in the way. Messi had put in an unusually quiet performance, and with time running out he had a shot charged down as the Sevilla defence held firm.
Sevilla’s Fernando took a red card when he chopped down Trincao to stop a late Barca attack.
But that wasn’t the last action.
Jordan conceded a corner in the 94th minute and when Griezmann swung it over, Pique rose the highest to plant his header home to take the game to extra time.
Barca had 30 minutes to break down the ten men of Sevilla but it only took five, as Braithwaite rose unmarked to head home the winner. Messi suddenly came alive, peppering the Sevilla goal with shots but Vaclik kept him out. But Sevilla’s game was well and truly up when Luuk de Jong was red-carded to leave them with nine men for the last 15.
Key statistics
With SBOTOP odds of 1.51 to win this second leg, the Blaugrana looked the part as they set about Sevilla from the off, winning the first-half shot count by six to two and two to one on target. By full-time, Barca had 16 shots to Sevilla’s four, and at the end of 120 minutes it was 22 to six. It was a well-deserved win.
The result means Barcelona are unbeaten at home to Sevilla in 16 games and they have a big chance to win a record 31st Copa del Rey.
What’s next?
Ronald Koeman’s first season as chief at the Camp Nou looked likely to end pot-less, and the news that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta may be a management target for Barcelona won’t please the Dutch master any, so tonight’s result was quite a boost.
Tomorrow night will have more Copa del Rey 2021 updates for Barca fans as Levante and Athletic Bilbao play their semi-final second leg with the tie in the balance at 1-1.
Then it’s back to La Liga action at the weekend when the Catalans travel away to Osasuna knowing that they need a win to keep up the pressure on Atletico Madrid. Los Rojiblancos are league leaders by five points and with a game in hand.
Then the Blaugrana have a mountain to climb in the Champions League when they try to rescue their round-of-16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain, having lost the first leg 4-1.
Sevilla are comfortable in fourth place in the league and they have a winnable game away to 19th-placed Elche, before they return to Champions League action against Borussia Dortmund. They too have a tough task in Europe, trailing Die Schwarzgelben by 3-2 after Erling Braut Haaland scored a double, but Luuk de Jong gave Sevilla some hope with a late goal to cut the deficit to one.
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