Sevilla paid the price: Barcelona avoid their "naive" mistakes with a familiar weapon

Barcelona went in level at 1-1, having found themselves facing a far tougher test than expected on the road. Their hosts pressed high and stayed organised, forcing the Catalans to ditch their usual build-up and resort to long balls.

Sevilla did not settle for pressing in the final third alone. They also closed down the spaces superbly when they dropped back into their own half, and that made it hard for Barcelona to play out and reach dangerous areas with any regularity.

Fofana opened the scoring in the 19th minute, exploiting the spaces behind the Barcelona defence. Raphinha struck back two minutes later, and that equaliser captured exactly what Barça needed against this kind of pressure: a more direct approach in behind the opponent's back line.

Composure was another problem in attack. Barcelona sometimes rushed their transitions before enough players had joined the front line, which at times left the defence exposed whenever they lost the ball.

Sevilla, by contrast, looked assured in pressing and then shutting down the spaces inside their defensive third, and they managed to limit Barcelona's ability to create chances.

Two more issues compounded Barça's struggles in this half. Pedri failed to show the best of his abilities and Gordon made little impact, while Lamine Yamal remained the most prominent source of danger. He came close to scoring with a shot that nearly changed the picture completely.

Barcelona were a different side after the break. Sevilla's pressing had troubled them badly in the first half, but the visitors adapted to the man-to-man approach, forced the hosts to sit deeper and then seized control of the game while cutting their threat right down.

They didn't settle for that. Fast, vertical movements kept coming, built on runs in behind the defence and constant rotation between the forwards and midfielders to prise open space. It confirmed they have plenty of answers to pressure.

Rodri stood out in particular during Barcelona's transformation. He gave the team greater balance, often dropping back alongside the two centre-backs to help build attacks and disrupt Sevilla's own.

His movement and positioning opened up passing lanes for team-mates and kept the attacks flowing.

Up front, Raphinha carried his brilliant form into the second half, proving he can lead the line as an out-and-out striker, while Yamal remained a constant threat.

Hansi Flick said after the match that Raphinha's brilliance as a striker came as no surprise, noting that his great mobility and ability to find space hand him a clear advantage.

The Brazilian has surpassed himself in the centre-forward role. He has become the weapon Flick reaches for, aided by Yamal, to foil every opponent's attempt to fortify their defence. Now La Liga's top scorer with 12 goals and 3 decisive assists in just 7 matches, he has fans dreaming of an exceptional season.

Flick admitted the win came the hard way. His side coughed up too many easy balls, and at half-time he demanded more possession from his midfielders, unhappy with passing accuracy that fell short and balls the team lost through "naivety".

Sevilla, by contrast, could not fashion a single real chance after the break. Barcelona tightened up defensively and dealt calmly with everything the hosts threw at them, while Sevilla's attacking substitutions failed to spark any revival. Minute by minute, the visitors took a firmer grip on the game, protecting their lead and shutting the door on any comeback.