JAKARTA - Sevilla won the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona with a relatively convincing score of 2-0 in a match which took place at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, Sevilla, Spain, Wednesday local time (Thursday WIB).
Quoting Antara, the goals of Jules Kounde and Ivan Rakitic coupled with the brilliant performances of the Sevilla defense were the key to the victory of Julen Lopetegui's team.
Barcelona actually had a good chance of taking the lead in the 13th minute, when Antoine Griezmann sent in a gastric pass which was met by Lionel Messi's first touch, but goalkeeper Bono made a resounding save with his left foot.
In the 25th minute, Sevilla snatched the lead as Kounde put on a scintillating individual action past Samuel Umtiti before firing a hard shot that was within reach of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen but continued his pace into the net.
Barcelona tried to dominate the game but failed to create any meaningful chances, even at the end of the first half Ter Stegen was forced into a save to keep Sergio Escudero off the crossbar.
One goal down, Barca tried to bounce back early in the second half but Kounde was able to stop Frenkie de Jong's dangerous move and Bono again blocked Messi's shot.
YOU SHALL NOT 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 🚫 🧙🏽♂️ 🇲🇦 ✨ # WeareSevilla #CopaDelRey #NeverSurrender pic.twitter.com/Hz8kBwEgyk
- Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) February 10, 2021
In the 73rd minute, Barcelona's players demanded a penalty when Jordi Alba fell inside the area, but the referee decided to only give a free kick as Suso's foul started from outside the area.
Instead of scoring a goal back, Barcelona's goal was hacked down by their outcast, Rakitic, who escaped the offside trap to catch Oliver Torres' through ball and beat Ter Stegen in a one-on-one situation to double Sevilla's lead in the 85th minute.
At the end of the match, Bono made another save to ward off Messi's signature free kick to seal a vital 2-0 win for Sevilla in the first leg.
The victory is an important asset for Sevilla ahead of visiting Barcelona for the second leg on March 3.
𝗔 𝗛𝗨𝗚𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗡.But it's far from over. A huge 90 minutes await us at the Camp Nou in March. ⚪🔴 # CopaDelRey #WeareSevilla #NeverSurrender pic.twitter.com/ohvYEEG4qY
- Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) February 10, 2021
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