Two giants share honours in top of the range Copa Del Rey clash.
Match Report: Wednesday 09/01/2008 22:00 hours, Copa Del Rey, Round 1/16
SEVILLA FC - FC BARCELONA
Stadium: Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville
Capacity : 45,000
Referee: Dauden Ibanez
Goals:
0-1 Henry ( 24’ )
1-1 Capel ( 43’ )
Cautions:
Yellow Card:
FC Barcelona:Marquez( 13’ ), Giovani ( 30’ ), Milito ( 59’ ), Abidal ( 77’ ), Puyol ( 93’ )
Sevilla: Dragutinovic ( 7’ ), Capel ( 43’ ), Navas ( 90’ )
Line-up:
FC Barcelona (4-4-2): Valdes, Puyol, Milito, Marquez, Abidal, Edmilson ( Thuram, 75’ ), Xavi, Iniesta, Giovani ( Bojan, 92’ ), Eto’o ( Gudjohnsen, 85’ ), Henry
Manager: Frank Rijkaard
Sevilla(4-3-3): Da Sanctis, Alves, Dragutinovic, Mosquera, Crespo, Maresca ( Navas, 54’ ), Poulsen, Capel, Adriano ( Renato, 54’ ), Luis Fabiano, Chevanton ( Kerzharkov, 65’ )
Manager: Manolo Jiménez
Match Report:
The encounter lived up to its pre-match billing. Two goals, eight yellow cards, two balls hitting the woodwork, lots of scoring chances and lots of fireworks.
The match commenced in its intensity, with both sides assessing each other with body testing movements and gritty tackles that made the centre Referee clutch to his box of yellow cards hoping that would help tame the excited players. Barca had the first good chance with Giovani Dos Santos escaping ten yards from the Sevilla goal post and sending the ball just wide of Morgan De Sanctis' near post. Sevilla tried to take the warning but couldn't hold on as the defence caved in to the rampaging Barca attack in the 24th miunte. In form Rafa Marquez lifted a pass over the Sevilla defence and located Thierry Henry who after two touches, rested the ball in the net. The first touch calmed the ball and the second sent it sliding through and into the Sevilla net. FC Barcelona had gone one goal up.
The goal fully awakened Sevilla to the pre-match possibility of losing to the Blaugrana in Seville. This terrible thought spurn the hosts into action, but the FC Barcelona lads were not to be easily subdued. Milito and Puyol held well in defence, with Marquez and Thuram playing well also. In the 41st minute, Alves sent a cracking shot towards Barca keeper Valdes, who did well to palm the shot over the bar for a corner to Sevilla. The desperate hosts crowded the Barca goal area hoping the corner will make amends just before the first-half ended. Their wishes were granted, when the incoming ball was scampered over while still in mid-air, only for it to land on Diego Capel who repeated what Thierry Henry had done by using two touches - one from a fellow Sevilla player and the second by him - to send the ball, this time, into the Barca net. Scores were drawn at 1-1.
The second half did not produce any goals, but produced enough drama to make the fans feel they earned their money's worth. Crunchy tackles were made, yellow cards were freely flashed by Referee Ibanez, all three maximum substitutions were used up by each side and Chevanton nodded Alves' cross against the FC Barcelona woodwork, while Barca's Edmilson responded by sending a low drive from 30 yards against the woodwork of Sevilla.
Giovani and Chevanton lost dying minute chances to ensure the highly publicised match was settled evenly after Dauden Ibanez blew his whistle to end the match.
My Comments:
Sevilla and FC Barcelona gave us a great match which ended 1-1 as already forseen from pundits on this website. The result puts Sevilla in a great disadvantage as they return for the second leg of the tie in Camp Nou. It's hard to envision Sevilla going through to the next round. I don't see that happenning. Once the Sevilla hurdle has successfully been crossed, FC Barcelona will likely go all the way to lift the Copa Del Rey.
