Barcelona Thrashed 4-1 by Sevilla as Robert Lewandowski Misses Penalty and Champions Drop to Second in La Liga

Barcelona’s unbeaten start to the La Liga season came to a stunning halt on Sunday after they suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. The shock loss not only ended their perfect run but also exposed worrying flaws in their defense and midfield organization.

The reigning champions, who were aiming to reclaim the top spot, instead dropped to second place with 19 points two behind league leaders Real Madrid after eight matches.

Sevilla drew first blood in the 13th minute when Alexis Sanchez converted from the penalty spot after a VAR review. The home side doubled their lead in the 37th minute through Isaac Romero, who exploited Barcelona’s high defensive line to slot past Marc-André ter Stegen.

Barcelona briefly found hope before halftime when Marcus Rashford finished off a fine pass from Pedri to make it 2-1, offering a glimmer of a comeback. However, the momentum shifted again in the second half when Robert Lewandowski missed a golden opportunity to equalize from the penalty spot in the 76th minute, firing wide to the disbelief of the traveling supporters.

Sevilla capitalized on Barcelona’s frustration in the closing stages. José Ángel Carmona struck in the 90th minute to restore their two-goal cushion, and substitute Akor Adams added a fourth in stoppage time to complete a famous victory for the Andalusian side.

After the match, Barcelona midfielder Pedri admitted the team’s shortcomings, saying, “We lacked intensity. We couldn’t get the ball out of our half, and we didn’t know what to do with it when we had it.”

The defeat marked Sevilla’s first La Liga win over Barcelona since 2015 and sent a strong message to the defending champions about the level of consistency required in this season’s title race.