Raphinha hat-trick guides Barcelona to 3-1 win at Sevilla

Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday to preserve their 100 percent record, with Raphinha scoring a hat-trick. Sevilla led through Youssouf Fofana in the 19th minute before Raphinha equalised and added two second-half goals created by Lamine Yamal. Raphinha, La Liga's top scorer, has 12 goals in seven league appearances. Hansi Flick's side have won eight of eight across all competitions and lead Real Madrid by six points.

Written by AI from The Daily Star (Bangladesh) · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 22 Sept 2026, 1:08 am IST

Source

The Daily Star (Bangladesh) · read the original report ↗

#la liga#barcelona#raphinha#sevilla#football#hat-trick

Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

Raphinha scored a hat-trick as Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday. — Core match result stated directly in the source; no external verification possible.
Raphinha has 12 goals in seven league appearances and is La Liga's top scorer. — Figure appears in the source; internally consistent with the second consecutive hat-trick mentioned.
Barcelona moved six points clear of Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, who visit Atletico Madrid on Sunday. — Stated in source without separate attribution; standings claim not independently checkable.
Sporting director Deco said Raphinha agreed to extend his stay until 2030. — Attributed to Barcelona sporting director Deco.
Youssouf Fofana put Sevilla ahead in the 19th minute; Dominik Livakovic made his Barca debut. — Match detail given in source; no source cited beyond the report itself.

Written by AI from The Daily Star (Bangladesh) · not yet reviewed by an editor · How we use AI · Report an error

Analysts’ view opinion

AI Sports Analyst

Hansi Flick's decision to use Raphinha as a central striker is shaping up as Barcelona's biggest tactical win of the season — 12 goals in seven league games and a second straight hat-trick make the case. Barca were genuinely uncomfortable in the first half at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan and trailed to Fofana's 19th-minute header, but the Yamal-Raphinha connection flipped the game after the break. Eight wins from eight across all competitions and a six-point cushion over Real Madrid is a strong foundation, even this early.

A natural winger thriving as a number nine gives Flick's attack a new dimension and flexibility.
Lamine Yamal did not score but effectively decided the match with two second-half assists.
Flick's own admission that his side gave the ball away too easily suggests the performance was less comfortable than the scoreline.
Livakovic's debut in place of the injured Joan Garcia is a reminder of how much goalkeeping depth can matter over a long season.
Fifth-placed Sevilla lost but made Barca sweat in the first half, a marker of their competitiveness.

What to watch — Real Madrid's trip to Atletico Madrid on Sunday will decide whether that six-point gap holds or narrows.

The story does not establish whether Raphinha can sustain this scoring rate or whether Barca's 100 percent record will survive a longer season, and it offers no detail on the wider fitness picture.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 7 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

Barcelona, the reigning Spanish champions under coach Hansi Flick, travelled to Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium in La Liga and won 3-1 on Saturday, keeping a perfect start to the 2026-27 season. Brazilian winger Raphinha, deployed out of position as a central striker, scored all three goals for a second consecutive hat-trick. The win moved Barcelona six points clear of Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, who were due to play a derby at Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Teenage forward Lamine Yamal created Raphinha's two second-half goals.

Key facts

Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-1 at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan on Saturday in La Liga, preserving a 100 percent record.
Raphinha scored a hat-trick, his second consecutive treble, and is La Liga's top goalscorer with 12 goals in seven league appearances.
Raphinha has also scored twice in the Champions League this season, taking his tally across eight games.
Sevilla led through Youssouf Fofana in the 19th minute, after Felix Correia escaped Eric Garcia and crossed.
Barcelona are six points clear of Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, who visit Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
It was Barcelona's eighth win from eight games across all competitions this season.
Sporting director Deco said Raphinha, a former Leeds winger, agreed to extend his stay at the club until 2030 ahead of the game.
Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made his Barcelona debut with Joan Garcia out injured; other results: Celta Vigo 5-0 Racing Santander, Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Alaves, Osasuna 1-1 Rayo Vallecano.

Timeline

Before kick-offSporting director Deco says Raphinha has agreed to extend his Barcelona contract until 2030.
19th minuteYoussouf Fofana nods home Felix Correia's cross to give fifth-placed Sevilla the lead.
First halfLamine Yamal's curling effort is pushed onto the post by Sevilla keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos; Raphinha then equalises with a low finish.
Early second halfYamal crosses for Raphinha to head Barcelona in front.
Later in second halfYamal sends Raphinha through and he dinks the ball over the goalkeeper to complete the hat-trick; chances by Anthony Gordon and Dani Olmo go begging.
Saturday, 20 September 2026 (report date)Barcelona confirm a 3-1 win, their eighth from eight games in all competitions.
Sunday (following day)Real Madrid, six points behind, scheduled to visit Atletico Madrid in a derby.

Who has a stake

Raphinha (Barcelona forward) — Leading La Liga scoring charts with 12 goals in seven league games, thriving as a number nine and committed to the club until 2030.
Hansi Flick (Barcelona coach) — Maintaining a perfect record while managing sloppy ball retention and an injury-hit goalkeeping department.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, aged 19) — Did not score but created both second-half goals; was whistled by Sevilla fans and goaded them in return.
Sevilla and captain Gabriel Suazo — Fifth-placed side suffered a second defeat of the season but say they competed and leave with confidence intact.
Real Madrid under Jose Mourinho — Six points adrift of Barcelona and facing a tough away derby at Atletico Madrid.
Dominik Livakovic (Barcelona goalkeeper) — Handed his debut in place of the injured Joan Garcia.

Why it matters

A flawless eight-from-eight start and a six-point cushion over Real Madrid this early signals Barcelona's grip on the title race and the success of Flick's tactical gamble of using a winger as a central striker. Raphinha's 12 goals in seven league games, plus a contract to 2030, make him the defining individual story of the Spanish season so far.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

Raphinha, a Brazil international and former Leeds winger, is La Liga's top scorer with 12 goals in seven league appearances.
Barcelona's coach is Hansi Flick; Real Madrid's coach named in the report is Jose Mourinho.
Sevilla's home ground is the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan; Sevilla were fifth before this match.
Dominik Livakovic, a Croatian goalkeeper, debuted for Barcelona as Joan Garcia was injured.
Barcelona lead Real Madrid by six points after eight wins in eight games across all competitions.
Other La Liga results the same round: Celta Vigo 5-0 Racing Santander; Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Alaves; Osasuna 1-1 Rayo Vallecano.

Mains framing

Barcelona's 3-1 win at Sevilla illustrates how modern elite football rewards tactical flexibility and individual role conversion: Raphinha, a natural winger, has been recast as a central striker and become La Liga's top scorer with 12 goals in seven league games, with Flick noting the team supplies 'the last pass'. The match also shows the limits of dominance — Sevilla led through Fofana in the 19th minute, Flick himself admitted his side gave the ball away too easily, and several chances were squandered — suggesting that the perfect eight-from-eight record rests partly on finishing quality rather than control. Structurally, the club's decisions off the pitch matter as much: tying Raphinha down to 2030 and blooding Livakovic in goal after Joan Garcia's injury reflect squad-depth planning. For competitive balance, a six-point gap over Real Madrid this early raises the question of whether the title race narrows only if Barcelona's dependence on one in-form forward and one teenage creator in Yamal is disrupted by injury or fatigue; the way forward for rivals lies in the kind of pressing intensity Sevilla showed in the first half but could not sustain, as captain Suazo conceded they 'lacked energy in the second half'.

Key terms

La Liga: Spain's top-flight professional football league, in which Barcelona are the reigning champions.
Hat-trick (treble): Three goals scored by one player in a single match; Raphinha's was his second in consecutive games.
Number nine: The central striker role; Flick said Raphinha is happy playing there despite being a winger by trade.
Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan: Sevilla's home stadium, where Barcelona won 3-1.
Sporting director: Club executive handling transfers and contracts; Barcelona's Deco announced Raphinha's extension to 2030.
Champions League: Europe's premier club competition, where Raphinha scored twice more this season.

Practice questions

How does the repositioning of a winger as a central striker, as with Raphinha at Barcelona, reflect wider tactical trends in elite club football? Discuss.
Assess the significance of a six-point early-season lead in a league format like La Liga, using the Barcelona-Real Madrid situation described.
Sevilla lost 3-1 yet claimed to leave 'with their heads held high'. Evaluate how performance, as distinct from results, is judged in professional sport.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

Next storyGen-Z protests in Nepal over eviction of squatters →

← All stories