Barcelona's Perfect Start Survives Scare with Raphinha's Hat-Trick
Barcelona walked into the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, fell behind early, and still walked out with La Liga’s only perfect record intact. It was messy at times, nervy at others, but Hansi Flick’s side found enough firepower – and enough Raphinha – to turn a difficult night into a 3-1 comeback win over Sevilla.
Raphinha the No 9, and the difference
Sevilla struck first. In the 19th minute, Youssouf Fofana punished a sluggish Barcelona start, putting the home side ahead and jolting the league leaders into life.
The response was immediate. Three minutes later, Andreas Christensen split the Sevilla back line with a precise pass, and Raphinha, now operating as a central striker after the summer exits of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, levelled the match with a sharp finish.
From there, the Brazilian took over.
Thriving in his new role, Raphinha scored twice more after the break to complete his second hat-trick in the space of 72 hours. Both of his second-half goals came via the right boot of Lamine Yamal, whose vision and timing repeatedly unpicked Sevilla’s resistance. By the final whistle, Raphinha’s season tally had climbed to 14 goals in all competitions, a number that underlines just how quickly he has embraced the responsibility of leading the line.
Barcelona were far from fluent in the first half. Sloppy in possession, loose in their pressing, they allowed Sevilla too many moments of encouragement. The difference after the interval was ruthlessness: when the chances came, Raphinha buried them.
Livakovic’s bold debut call
Behind the attacking fireworks, another storyline was quietly unfolding. Dominik Livakovic, making his debut, started in goal ahead of Wojciech Szczesny – a decision that raised eyebrows even before kick-off.
Flick had hinted previously that Szczesny was effectively his No 2, so the choice of Livakovic felt like a late twist. The Croatian rewarded that faith with a calm, assured performance. He handled Sevilla’s crosses cleanly, read the game well, and helped steady a back line that, on paper at least, looked vulnerable.
In front of him, Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia did their part. The centre-back pairing limited Sevilla’s clear chances and helped Barcelona close out the game to secure a seventh consecutive league win. It wasn’t spectacular defending, but it was controlled, and it was enough.
Asked about the goalkeeping decision, Flick didn’t hide behind data or lengthy technical explanations. He leaned on instinct.
“As you know, sometimes it’s not only about analysing everything. Sometimes it’s also about the feeling,” he said after the match. “I think my feeling today was like this, so I spoke with the coaches and then we made this decision. So it’s about the feeling. It doesn’t mean that we analysed it and decided that we don’t believe in Szczesny or anything like that. But for me, today, I think this was the right decision.”
He stressed that nothing is set in stone in the pecking order.
“He was good. But in the end, it’s a decision I made, you know. I said that before, of course. Sometimes you see a player and you feel that this player might perhaps be the first option in this position, and you make a different decision. That’s what happened. It’s not such a big thing. This decision is only for this match.”
A loaded bench, and Flick’s hardest job
Seven games. Seven wins. Twenty-one points. Barcelona sit top of La Liga and are scoring freely, yet Flick admits the toughest part of his job right now isn’t tactics or rotations. It’s the human side.
“In the end, to be honest with you, for me this is the hardest thing at the moment,” he said. “I know everyone can be happy because we have enormous quality in the squad. But for me it’s not easy.
“When I look at the bench and see that Gavi won’t play, Xavi [Espart] can’t play, [Jules] Kounde can’t play, Szczesny can’t play, it’s not easy.
“It’s not easy for me either because I’m close to everyone, I’m with everyone, and still I have to make these decisions. In the end, that’s how it is. I’m always thinking about the team. There is nothing personal. It’s about the team. That’s why we made this decision. In the end, yes, that’s my job. But it’s not easy at the moment.”
The picture is clear: Barcelona have depth, form, and a forward in Raphinha who suddenly looks like a natural No 9. The question now is not whether they can win in La Liga – they’ve made that habit already – but how long Flick can keep this stacked dressing room aligned as the season’s real pressure begins to bite.
