Barcelona will finish the 2023-24 season in second place in the La Liga table with 85 points thanks to a very entertaining 2-1 win over Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in Sunday’s season finale. A game filled with huge chances for both sides ended with a wild Barça victory thanks to goals from Robert Lewandowski and Fermín López, and the Blaugrana gave Xavi Hernández a victorious send-off on his final game as first team head coach.
FIRST HALF
The game definitely had the feel of an end-of-season contest that meant very little for both teams at the start: the atmosphere wasn’t as spectacular as usual at the Pizjuán, and the intensity was not exactly at the highest level from either team. The players who have international commitments this summer wanted to stay healthy and in rhythm, while those headed for a vacation tomorrow didn’t want to get injured.
There was also not much of an interest in defending from either side, which allowed both teams to create an insane amount of chances in the opening period. Barça took the lead 15 minutes in after a brilliant team move down the right wing that ended with a João Cancelo assist and a great finish from Robert Lewandowski.
Sevilla responded with several long balls and counter-attacks looking to exploit Barça’s high line, and Dodi Lukébakio was especially dangerous with several shots on goal and a header against the post. But it was Youssef En-Nesyri who broke the deadlock for the home team, as the Moroccan received a pass from Boubakary Soumaré inside the box and toe-poked the ball past Marc-André ter Stegen to make it all square at the half-hour mark.
The final 15 minutes were quite simply wild: both teams traded huge chances and could have easily scored a second goal each, with Pedri and Cancelo both hitting the woodwork, Lukébakio dragging a shot agonizingly wide and En-Nesyri missing an easy header in the final play of the half. Somehow no more goals were scored, however, and the score miraculously was still 1-1 at the break.
At halftime Barça were involved in a very fun game to end the season, but they needed to tighten things up at the back if they wanted to give Xavi a victorious send-off.
SECOND HALF
Xavi made a change at halftime as Oriol Romeu replaced Andreas Christensen in a like-for-like swap at the base of midfield to preserve Christensen’s fitness, but also with the hope that Romeu would offer a little more midfield control and help stop Sevilla from counter-attacking so easily.
The home team stayed in their back-five shape with a low block looking to recover the ball and continue feeding their quick forwards with long passes, and the start of the final period was all about Barça trying to take better care of the ball and avoid Sevilla’s fast breaks.
Even though they still made a couple of mistakes on the ball Barça mostly did a better job controlling the game, and started having longer sequences of possession in Sevilla’s half. And right at the hour mark they retook the lead: Ilkay Gündogan found Fermín López on the left wing, and the young midfielder cut inside and fired a rocket from outside the box with his right foot past Orjan Nyland and into the bottom corner to put the visitors ahead for a second time.
Xavi made two more changes right after the goal as João Félix and Ferran Torres came on for Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal as the coach introduced two fresh bodies to the attack hoping for a third goal that would make the win almost a certainty. The two substitutes looked aggressive from the get-go and Félix forced Nyland into a good save just a few seconds after his introduction, and Barça were clearly the better side as we approached the final 20 minutes.
But as time went on and Barça couldn’t put the game away Sevilla started gaining more confidence, and Ter Stegen was forced to make a brilliant save on a shot by Adrià Pedrosa as the home team began to threaten again. Xavi made his fourth substitution as Vitor Roque replaced Fermín, with the hope that the young Brazilian’s pace and power would make the difference up front.
Sevilla coach Quique Sánchez Flores made a triple change with 10 minutes to go without altering formations as the hosts stayed in their 5-2-3 shape but still looked more aggressive in their pressing with fresher bodies on the pitch. The home team sent more numbers forward, upped their intensity with and without the ball and started to make a real push for a late equalizer.
Xavi made his last substitution as Héctor Fort replaced João Cancelo at left-back as the Portuguese was on a yellow card and looked more and more vulnerable defensively. Barça desperately needed to wrestle back control of the game as Sevilla looked a real threat all over the pitch, and the hosts looked very likely to score as we reached the final five minutes.
Sánchez Flores then did Barça a huge favor at the end by subbing off his two most dangerous attackers in Lukébakio and En-Nesyri, and Sevilla lost all of their momentum in the dying moments. Barça did a good job controlling possession and running out the clock, and the final whistle came to give them a win in a wild season finale.
So the 2023-24 campaign is over with no trophies, and the biggest achievement is second place in the league and some additional prize money for not finishing third. Xavi is gone and a new era officially starts on Monday, but this was certainly a fun way to end two and a half eventful years with Xavi in charge.
Thank you, legend.
Sevilla: Nyland; Juanlu, Badé (Gudelj 79’), Ramos, Salas (Marcão 46’), Pedrosa; Soumaré, Agoumé (Bueno 79’); Ocampos, En-Nesyri (Véliz 90’), Lukébakio (Mariano 79’)
Goal: En-Nesyri (31’)
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsí, Iñigo, Cancelo (Fort 83’); Pedri, Christensen (Romeu 46’), Gündogan; Yamal (Félix 62’), Lewandowski (Ferran 62’), Fermín (Roque 75’)
Goals: Lewandowski (15’), Fermín (59’)
