Barcelona temporarily rose to the top of the Spanish Premier League with a 1-0 victory over its guest, Sevilla, on Friday, after veteran defender Sergio Ramos accidentally put the ball into his own net during the second half.
Ramos, the former Real Madrid captain who is playing against his old rival Barcelona again for the first time since 2020, appeared helpless when he tried to clear a cross from 16-year-old Lamine Jamal, but he saw the ball sneak over the goal line in the 76th minute.
Ramos, who held young Jamal’s hand in the tunnel when the Barcelona striker was the club’s mascot, received a hostile reception when his early touches were met with boos from the home fans.
But loud cheers erupted at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium, Barcelona’s temporary stadium, after the 37-year-old’s own goal. With this result, Barcelona advances by one point at the expense of second-placed Girona, which has a game in hand, while Sevilla ranks 12th.
Tensions escalated between the two clubs before the start of the match when Sevilla said that it would not have any representation in the VIP box at the stadium due to the “Negrira case” currently under discussion.
FC Barcelona is being investigated in a “bribery” case as part of a broader investigation into suspicions of corruption that spanned two decades in the arbitration committee, where Jose Maria Enriquez Negrera was vice-chairman of the committee.
Barcelona described what happened as an “unjustified and inappropriate attack” on the club, saying that Sevilla was depriving it of its right to defense within the framework of established legal procedures.
On the field, Barcelona had a great start, as Joao Felix beat the goalkeeper in the 22nd minute with a powerful shot that hit the inside of the crossbar before going wide. On the other end, Gabi stood on the goal line to block Lucas Ocampos’ shot.
After the first half ended without goals, Barcelona changed its style and appeared more dangerous.
Robert Lewandowski was prevented from scoring after an intervention by the last player on the field, Juanlo Sanchez, when the Polish striker was in front of the goal, while Gabi watched his header narrowly deviate from the goal.
But the shape of the match changed after Ramos scored an own goal by mistake. Despite the chances that Sevilla also had, Barcelona managed to keep a clean sheet and maintain its unbeaten start to the season.
2023-09-29 23:46:51
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