ASTONISHING STRIKE FROM PEDRI GIVES BARCELONA WIN OVER SEVILLA AT CAMP NOU.
Pedri’s sublime effort proved enough to end Sevilla’s 15-game unbeaten streak in the league, while in the process the Spaniard’s second La Liga (LL) goal of the season extended FC Barcelona’s own undefeated streak in LL to 14 matches.
Two weeks on from their spectacular 4-0 victory over bitter rivals Real Madrid, the hosts were evidently still oozing confidence from that impressive display, as they began the contest against Sevilla on the front foot. Ferran Torres created his own chance in the eighth minute, driving purposely inside from the left flank before firing over, while Ousmane Dembélé’s delicate cross presented Frenkie de Jong with a promising opportunity, but the Dutchman was unable to keep his header under the crossbar.
After repelling the early Barça attacks, Sevilla began to enjoy more possession, but having failed to score no more than one goal in their last eight away league games, they resembled a side that were bereft of ideas in the first period. Luckily for them, Bono ensured that Barcelona would have no joy in the first half, with the Morocco international utilising a strong right hand to push away Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s effort on the stroke of HT.
Having spent the majority of the opening 45 minutes as a mere spectator, Marc-André ter Stegen was called into action within two minutes of the restart, with Érik Lamela registering Sevilla’s first shot on target. After dealing with Lamela’s effort, Barça wrestled back control, as Torres’ first-time strike drew a smart save from Bono, and he was required once again to tip Ronald Araújo’s header over the bar.
The hosts were not deterred by Bono’s brilliance, as they continued to put ‘Los Nervionenses’ under the pump, with Gerard Piqué nodding the ball onto the crossbar. Less than three minutes later, the deadlock was finally broken courtesy of a moment of brilliance from Pedri, whose nimble footwork created the perfect opening to find the bottom corner with a powerful driven strike. Not only did the goal give the hosts their sixth consecutive league victory, but it enabled them to leapfrog their opponents into second place.
