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E-mail Xinhua, February 10, 2025
FC Barcelona took advantage of the 1-1 draw between Real and Atletico Madrid on Saturday night to cut Real Madrid's lead at the top of the table to two points and move a point behind Atletico after a 4-1 win away to Sevilla on Sunday.
Robert Lewandowski, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Eric Garcia all scored, and although Barca also had to play for half an hour with 10 men after Lopez was sent off, Los Cules was able to control the rhythm of the game with relative ease.
Lewandowski put Barca ahead with a clever finish after Inigo Martinez's header in the sixth minute, but the lead lasted just a minute before Ruben Vargas leveled with a simple finish after Saul Niguez broke Barca's offside trap.
Niguez was then booked for a bad challenge on Barca defender Ronald Araujo, who had to leave the game with an ankle injury.
Lopez replaced Gavi at half-time and put Barca back in front after less than a minute with his header from Pedri's ball into the penalty area.
Sevilla had the ball in the Barca goal almost immediately afterwards, but this time it was ruled out for offside and Raphinha continued his excellent season with a low shot to score Barca's third.
Lopez was then dismissed for a rash high challenge on Djibril Sow, leaving the Catalans the job of protecting their lead with a man fewer.
Garcia and Dani Olmo came on to help Barca control the game in the closing minutes, with Garcia nodding in Barca's fourth in the closing minutes.
Elsewhere in Spain, Brais Mendez scored an 83rd-minute winner as Real Sociedad beat Espanyol 2-1 to keep its chances of qualifying for Europe alive.
Sheraldo Becker had put the side from San Sebastian ahead in the first minute, but Javi Puado's penalty in the 52nd minute leveled the score after the striker had been fouled.
Espanyol then defended well and looked as if it could hold on for a vital point until Mendez's finish after the ball had been flicked on at the near post.
Elsewhere, Alaves slipped ever-deeper into trouble as it lost 1-0 at home to Getafe, and Valencia recovered from its 5-0 defeat at home to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey on Thursday, with a vital 2-0 win at home to Leganes.
