XIXI XHADEY'S BLOG: SPORT: Barcelona threw away a two-goal lead and were held to a draw by battling Sevilla in La Liga.. READ MORE >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sunday 12 April 2015

SPORT: Barcelona threw away a two-goal lead and were held to a draw by battling Sevilla in La Liga.. READ MORE >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Neymar ends goalless run
Sevilla battle back and stay fifth
Barca fail to make it 10 straight wins
Sevilla remain unbeaten at home

Barcelona threw away a two-goal lead and were held to a draw by battling Sevilla in La Liga.

Substitute Kevin Gameiro's goal six minutes from time capped a fine comeback from the home side.

Lionel Messi put the league leaders ahead with a superb curled goal, with Neymar doubling the lead from a free-kick.

Ever Banega then pulled one back and Gameiro's equaliser means Barca are only two points ahead of Real Madrid.

Real had moved to within a point of Barca with their comfortable 3-0 win over Eibar earlier in the day.

Sevilla's spirited fightback did not look likely during an opening 30 minutes where Barca, chasing the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble, were close to their best.

Messi struck when Sevilla defender Benoit Tremoulinas allowed the Argentine too much space, cutting back onto his left foot before bending his shot just inside the post for his 34th goal of the season.

Neymar doubled the lead with a near-perfect free-kick that curled over the wall into the top corner and beyond static goalkeeper Rico Gonzalez. Barca's Brazilian forward has ended a run of seven La Liga games without a goal.

Banega's firm shot from outside the area reduced the arrears when Barca keeper Claudio Bravo pushed the Argentine midfielder's effort onto the post and into the bottom corner.

Sevilla were determined to preserve their unbeaten record this season at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium and they kept pressing for an equaliser after the break.

Carlos Arturo Bacca, top scorer for his club, wasted a good chance to draw level by shooting over the bar, but Barca's Luis Suarez did likewise and also badly mis-hit another chance to increase his side's lead.

The open nature of the game continued and Sevilla were level when Gameiro, who had replaced Bacca, was free at the far post to convert Aleix Vidal's pinpoint low cross to salvage a fully deserved point for his fifth-placed side.

Barca had looked good value for what would have been a 10th win in a row in all competitions

Ever Banega's goal was just his second since joining Sevilla from Valencia last August

Kevin Gameiro had been on the pitch for around 10 minutes when he struck to help preserve Sevilla's unbeaten home record

LINEUP, BOOKINGS (7) & SUBSTITUTIONS (5)

Sevilla

29 Rico González
23 Andújar Moreno
21 Martín Pareja
06 Carrico Martins
02 Trémoulinas
04 Krychowiak Booked
19 Banega Booked
22 Vidal Parreu
12 Iborra Booked (Mbia - 70' Booked )
20 Machín Pérez (Reyes - 70' Booked )
09 Bacca (Gameiro - 75' )

Substitutes

03 Navarro Corbacho
05 Figueiras
07 Gameiro
10 Reyes
17 Suárez
25 Mbia
33 Soria Solís

Barcelona

13 Bravo
22 Dani Alves
03 Piqué Booked
24 Mathieu
18 Alba
04 Rakitic
05 Busquets Booked
08 Iniesta (Pedro - 86' )
10 Messi
09 Suárez
11 Neymar (Xavi - 74' )

Substitutes

01 ter Stegen
06 Xavi
07 Pedro
12 Alcántara do Nascimento
14 Mascherano
15 Bartra
21 Adriano

Ref: Juan Martínez Munuera

Att: 40,355

MATCH STATS

Shots

1117

On target

Corners

Fouls

239

Live Text Commentary

Full time

Full TimeMatch ends, FC Sevilla 2, Barcelona 2.

90:00+3:00Full time

Full TimeSecond Half ends, FC Sevilla 2, Barcelona 2.

90:00+2:50

Pedro (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

90:00+2:50

Foul by Coke (FC Sevilla).

90:00+1:38

Attempt missed. Dani Alves (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Xavi following a set piece situation.

90:00+1:23

Jordi Alba (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

90:00+1:23

Foul by Stéphane Mbia (FC Sevilla).

90:00+0:11

Attempt missed. Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Jordi Alba.

89:08

Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Aleix Vidal.

87:30

Hand ball by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).

85:44Substitution

SubstitutionSubstitution, Barcelona. Pedro replaces Andrés Iniesta.

83:01Goal scored

Goal!Goal! FC Sevilla 2, Barcelona 2. Kevin Gameiro (FC Sevilla) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Aleix Vidal following a fast break.

82:22

Offside, Barcelona. Dani Alves tries a through ball, but Luis Suárez is caught offside.

81:21Booking

BookingStéphane Mbia (FC Sevilla) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.