Sports

Barcelona vs Sevilla: Messi scores as 9-man Barca thrash Lopetegui's men 4-0

Sunday, October 06, 2019 at 10:59 PM by Oluwatomiwa Babalola

- Barcelona vs Sevilla La Liga side saw Valverde's men cruise to 4-0 win at Camp Nou

- A goal each from Messi, Suarez, Dembele and Vidal pushed the Catalans to second on the La Liga table

- They are now two points behind current table toppers Real Madrid ahead of this month's El Clasico

Barcelona bounced back to winning ways in the Spanish League following their 4-0 victory over Sevilla at the camp Nou.

The Catalans had their captain Lionel Messi back in the starting line up but it was Luis Suarez who opened scoring for the hosts after 27 minutes of action.

Suarez connected with Nelson Semedo's cross before putting the ball into the net through a stunning over head kick from close range.

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Barca capitalised on their visitors wastefulness in the early minutes of the game having been presented with a number of chances which they failed to convert.

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The home team would also have their goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to thank for the numerous saves he made at the start of the encounter.

Arturo Vidal doubled Barcelona's lead in the 32nd minute after tapping home a pass from Arthur Melo, as the Chilean recorded his second goal of the season.

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With ten minutes to wrap the first half up, Ousmane Dembele added his name on the scores sheet with a fine goal.

The Frenchman dribbled past Sevilla's Diego Carlos before sending Tomas Vaclik the wrong way with the help of Arthur, who recorded his second assist in the space of three minutes.

Coach Ernesto Valverde's men continued their dominance in the game on return for the second half of the game.

And it was the hosts who were more clinical for the fourth time in the game as Lionel Messi finally found the back of the net for the first time this season.

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The 32-year-old scored another stunning free kick from about 25 yards after about three misses from similar positions earlier in the game.

However, Barca were reduced to nine men as Ousmane Dembele and Ronald Araujo were sent off in the 78th minutes.

Araujo got sent off for fouling Chicharito who had a chance to score for his side, while the Frenchman was handed a second yellow for dissent against the referee.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Matthew Longstaff's solitary goal was the difference as struggling Newcastle stunned Man United 1-0 in a tough Premier League clash at St. James Park to win.

United went into the encounter in search of a win to boost their already slim-looking hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

The Red Devils got their campaign off a flying start, but a string of unconvincing results have left some fans questioning Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's suitability for the managerial role.