Sevilla’s Sergio Ramos Gifts An Own-Goal And Full Points To Barcelona

Barcelona
Barcelona

Barcelona were gifted an own goal and a win that temporarily propelled them to the top of the Spanish League. The win over bitter rivals Sevilla came after veteran defender Sergio Ramos slid the ball into the Sevilla goal in the 2nd half. The former Real Madrid skipper was up against his old rival Barcelona after three years. He struggled to block an incoming header from Barcelona wonder-kid Lamine Yamal and the ball ended up rolling over his own goal line. The goal in the seventy-sixth minute was enough to see the Spanish heavyweights  through and push them to the top of the La Liga.

Ramos had once accompanied Yamal onto the ground when the kid was a club mascot. But this time he faced a hostile reception and his initial touches invited jeers and wolf whistles on the home ground. But the own goal from Sergio Ramos brought wild cheering from Barcelona fans as their team played at their temporary home ground at Montjuic Stadium. Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar said that his team’s defense was overwhelmed by the number of Barcelona players inside the box. At some stage, someone was bound to make a mistake in defense, he said. He called it a whimsical goal.

Tension Between Barcelona And Sevilla Was Evident As The Referee Bribery Case  Surfaced

Tensions ran high with Sevilla officials refusing to attend the game vs. Barcelona after the Negreira scandal. The Catalans have been accused of making payments of nearly $8.15 million for bribing which the club has claimed were for technical reports on referees. On the field, the blaugranas made a good start as João Félix beat the goalkeeper with a powerful shot but was denied by the crossbar. At the other end, Lucas Ocampos was denied by Gavi standing on the goal line. Juanlu Sanchez denied Robert Lewandowski through a last-man tackle while at the other end, Gavi’s header narrowly missed the Barcelona goal.