Super Eagles debutant scores as Sevilla condemn Barcelona to consecutive defeats

Sevilla borrowed a leaf from Paris Saint-Germain's books, running riot against Barcelona to secure a famous 4-1 victory.

Hansi Flick's side came into the game reeling from midweek's Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and Lamine Yamal's injury lapse.

Expected to bounce back against a mediocre Sevilla side, the Blaugrana buckled under Los Nervionenses' man-to-man press and were soundly beaten, conceding twice in either half, with Super Eagles debutant Akor Adams closing out the scoring. Marcus Rashford scored Barcelona's only goal.

Sevilla grabbed the initiative early and were rewarded by a VAR-checked penalty after a tussle in the box. The referee, Alejandro Muñíz Ruiz, judged that Ronald Araújo had hauled down Isaac Romero. 

Ex-Arsenal forward Alexis Sánchez stepped up from 12 yards and buried the spot-kick to open the scoring and put Barcelona on the back foot. 

The home side doubled their lead from a fast transition. Ruben Vargas, drifting in from the left, squared a low cross that found Isaac Romero, who made no mistake from close range. The goal came after a spate of near misses, confirming Los Nervionenses' dominance. 

Barcelona improved in the final stages of the first half, and Pedri’s lobbed-through ball set up Marcus Rashford’s volley in the 45+7′ minute. The England international finished emphatically after he had missed a similar chance earlier from a Pau Cubarsi pass. 

The second half was cagey until Barcelona were awarded a penalty around the 74th minute when Adnan Januzaj clumsily brought down Alejandro Balde in the area. 

Robert Lewandowski took the spot-kick but sent it wide, a miss that proved costly; instead of chasing parity, Barcelona were left to rue a real chance to turn the match. 

Sevilla then punished that miss in the final moments: Lucien Agoumé picked out José Ángel Carmona, whose finish in the 90th minute restored a two-goal cushion, and substitute Akor Adams, introduced around the hour mark, completed the scoring with a composed finish from a Chidera Ejuke assist deep into stoppage time. Those late strikes flayed Barcelona’s shape and sealed a famous day in Seville.

Akor earned his maiden Super Eagles callup a few days ago when he was named in Eric Chelle's squad of 23 for the upcoming World Cup qualifier games against Lesotho and the Benin Republic. 

He joined Sevilla last season, but injury hampered his progress. He has begun this season, gradually showing his quality. His strike against Barcelona was his second goal in consecutive matches.