Raphinha scored a second successive hat-trick as Barcelona beat Sevilla to extend their lead at the top of La Liga.
The Brazilian forward delivered another clinical finishing display at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, taking his season tally to 14 goals in all competitions. Raphinha had also scored three times in Barcelona’s 7-2 win over Racing Santander last Wednesday.
The victory lifted Barcelona to 21 points, six ahead of Real Madrid and Real Betis, who occupy second and third place respectively. Barcelona have, however, played one game more than both rivals.
Real Madrid face city rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday, while Real Betis travel to Deportivo La Coruna.
Sevilla took the lead in the 19th minute after Felix Correia delivered a dangerous cross to the near post, where Youssouf Fofana headed past the Barcelona defence. Barcelona responded just three minutes later. Raphinha cut inside before calmly placing his shot beyond Sevilla goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos to level the score.
The visitors went ahead seven minutes after half-time through Raphinha again. Lamine Yamal created the opportunity by dribbling away from goal before delivering a precise cross for Raphinha to head home. Yamal turned provider once more in the 69th minute. The teenager played Raphinha through with an excellent pass, allowing the 29-year-old to lift the ball over Vlachodimos and complete his hat-trick.
The result gave Barcelona their seventh consecutive La Liga victory and eighth straight win across all competitions. Sevilla remain fifth in the league with 13 points despite the defeat.
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