Sevilla Schools Barcelona, While Atletico Stumbles

In a stunning La Liga upset, Spanish champions Barcelona were overrun by Sevilla with a resounding 4-1 loss on Sunday. Alexis Sanchez scored against his former team while Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty for Barcelona.

Following their first league defeat this season, Barcelona now sit second, trailing Real Madrid by two points after the latter’s win over Villarreal. Meanwhile, Sevilla climbed to sixth place.

Real Betis secured fourth position with a narrow 2-1 victory over Espanyol, thanks to a crucial stoppage-time penalty save by Pau Lopez, a former Barcelona player.

Atletico Madrid dropped points in a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo after Clement Lenglet was sent off in the first half, leaving Atletico in fifth place.

Sevilla took an early lead when veteran winger Sanchez scored from the penalty spot, followed by Isaac Romero doubling the advantage, despite missing two earlier opportunities.

Marcus Rashford pulled one back for Barcelona before halftime, but Lewandowski’s missed penalty denied them a chance to equalize.

The match concluded with late goals from Jose Carmona and Akor Adams, sealing Barcelona’s unusual heavy defeat under Hansi Flick.

“Our first-half performance was dreadful. We must critically assess ourselves,” Barcelona midfielder Pedri Gonzalez stated on the club’s media.

Flick remained optimistic, commenting, “We have to move forward despite the loss.”

Barcelona was still grappling with their Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and sorely missed injured young star Lamine Yamal.

The turning point was Ronald Araujo’s clumsy penalty concession after grappling with Romero in the box.

Sevilla’s Dominance

Romero found the net from Ruben Vargas’s assist, making it 2-0 before Rashford volleyed Pedri’s cross for his first La Liga goal, giving Barcelona hope.

With only one previous league win at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan in 2025, Sevilla was nervous as Adnan Januzaj’s penalty incident offered Barca a lifeline.

However, Lewandowski’s missed penalty kept Sevilla safe, and Roony Bardghji’s attempt was thwarted by the goalkeeper.

The victory was sealed with Carmona’s low driven shot and Adams’ final goal.

“This home win was crucial for us,” noted Sevilla coach Matias Almeyda. “We executed our strategy perfectly.”

Atletico’s Hard-Fought Draw

Atletico, now eight points behind leaders Real Madrid, saw a Carl Starfelt own-goal put them ahead, but Lenglet’s dismissal dampened their chances.

Record-equalling Celta player Iago Aspas secured a draw with his second-half effort, maintaining Celta’s six 1-1 draws across eight games.

Despite having beaten Real Madrid 5-2 the previous weekend, Atletico’s manager Simeone remarked, “My players performed admirably,” while expressing frustration over Lenglet’s red card for fouls on Ferran Jutgla.

Elsewhere, promoted Elche faced their first defeat, losing 3-1 to Alaves and falling to seventh place.