At Camp Nou on the evening of 15/3, Barca dominated early, opening the scoring with a penalty. In the 8th minute, Joao Cancelo's surge into the box drew a foul from Djibril Sow, resulting in a penalty for the hosts. Raphinha then calmly converted the penalty with a panenka chip, beating goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos to put Barca up one-nil.

Barca's relentless pressure soon led to another Sevilla error. In the 19th minute, Cancelo again troubled the defense, and the ball struck Jose Carmona's hand following a challenge. After a VAR review, the referee awarded Barca a second penalty. Raphinha stepped up again, firing a powerful shot into the left corner to double Barca's lead.

Raphinha (right) celebrates his hat-trick for Barca against Sevilla at Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain, during the 28th round of La Liga on 15/3. Photo: Reuters

The hosts continued their superiority. In the 38th minute, Barca added a third goal after a swift combination on the right flank. Marc Bernal's deflected cross fell to Dani Olmo at the edge of the box. The Spanish midfielder then struck a powerful shot into the bottom corner, giving Vlachodimos no chance.

Despite being outplayed, Sevilla managed to pull one goal back just before halftime. However, Sevilla's hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed. In the 51st minute, substitute midfielder Fermin Lopez threaded a pass to Raphinha on the edge of the box. The Brazilian winger turned and fired a left-footed shot that deflected off Nemanja Gudelj's leg, looping into the top corner to complete his hat-trick and make it 4-1.

Hansi Flick's side continued to press. In the 60th minute, Cancelo received a pass from Raphinha on the left flank, drove into the box, beat Gudelj, and fired a diagonal shot. This marked his first goal since rejoining Barca.

For the remainder of the match, Barca slowed the pace but retained full control. Robert Lewandowski had several scoring chances but failed to convert them. Sevilla managed to score one more goal in stoppage time, with Oso delivering a cross from the left wing for Djibril Sow to head in from close range.

Raphinha departed in the 82nd minute to a standing ovation, having delivered a stellar performance with three goals and one assist. The result extends Barca's home winning streak in La Liga to 14 matches and maintains their four-point advantage over Real Madrid at the top of the table.

With ten rounds remaining, coach Hansi Flick's side holds a significant advantage in their title defense. Barca will host Rayo Vallecano on 22/3 in their next league fixture. However, before that, they face Newcastle in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 at Camp Nou on the evening of 18/3.

Hoang An