Raphinha hits second straight hat-trick as Barcelona beat Sevilla
Raphinha continued his extraordinary run of form by scoring a second successive hat-trick as Barcelona defeated Sevilla 3-1 to strengthen their position at the top of La Liga.
The Brazilian winger followed his treble in last Wednesday’s 7-2 victory over Racing Santander with another clinical display at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
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Raphinha now has 14 goals in all competitions this season, while Barcelona have won seven consecutive league matches and eight games in all competitions.
Raphinha responds after Sevilla opener
Sevilla took a surprise lead in the 19th minute when Felix Correia delivered a dangerous cross towards the near post, where Youssouf Fofana rose to head past the Barcelona defence.
Their advantage lasted just three minutes.
Raphinha cut inside from the left before calmly finding the bottom corner to restore parity and give Barcelona the platform they needed to take control.
The 29-year-old completed his hat-trick after the interval, with Lamine Yamal playing a key role in both goals.
Yamal’s first contribution came in the 52nd minute when he dribbled away from goal before clipping a cross towards Raphinha, who headed the ball beyond Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Yamal and Raphinha combine again
The teenage forward was involved once more 17 minutes later, producing an exquisite pass to send Raphinha through on goal.
The Brazilian showed his composure by delicately lifting the ball over Vlachodimos to complete his second hat-trick in the space of five days.
The victory moved Barcelona onto 21 points, giving them a six-point advantage over Real Madrid and third-placed Real Betis, although both rivals had a game in hand.
Real Madrid face city rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday, while Betis travel to Deportivo La Coruna.
Sevilla remained fifth on 13 points despite suffering their latest defeat.