Barcelona came from behind to defeat Sevilla 3-1 on Saturday, with Raphinha scoring a hat-trick to inspire a comeback victory in La Liga.
Sevilla made the stronger start and took the lead in the 19th minute when Youssouf Fofana headed Felix Correia’s long pass into the top-left corner.
Barcelona responded just three minutes later through Raphinha, who controlled a pass on the edge of the box before drilling a low shot into the bottom-right corner to level the contest.
The Brazilian forward then struck again seven minutes into the second half, meeting a clever lofted pass from Lamine Yamal and heading past the Sevilla goalkeeper to put Barcelona 2-1 ahead.
Raphinha completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute, timing his run to perfection before meeting another pass from Yamal and calmly chipping the ball over the goalkeeper to make it 3-1.
The hat-trick capped a decisive individual performance from Raphinha, who was substituted seven minutes after completing his treble, with Karim Adeyemi replacing him in the 76th minute.
Barcelona had opportunities to add to their advantage, while Sevilla struggled to find a way back after falling behind.
Yamal was also influential in Barcelona’s attacking play. The youngster struck the post early in the match before providing the assists for Raphinha’s second and third goals.
Sevilla threatened on occasions, but Barcelona controlled much of the second half. The visitors finished with 67 per cent possession and 17 attempts to Sevilla’s four, according to the match statistics.
Barcelona also had to manage an injury setback when Andreas Christensen was forced off in the 59th minute and replaced by Gerard Martin.
