Aveek Chaudhuri, March 4, 2021

Ousmane Dembele. Gerard Pique. Martin Braithwaite. The heroes of Barcelona as they defeated Sevilla 3-0 on Wednesday to win the Copa del Rey two-legged semi-final clash with Sevilla with an aggregate score of 3-2. Dembele first gave hope to the Blaugrana after a stunning strike in the 12' minute into the back of the net. From, there Barcelona took control as they continuously looked for that second goal to level the score. However, hope seemed to be lost as Sevilla got a penalty in the 71' minute. But Marc-Andre ter Stegen said otherwise as he had an excellent save to deny Lucas Ocampos from the line. And so, Barcelona continued pushing, looking for that second goal. And they eventually found it at the brink of extra time with a 94' minute header by Pique. Thus, the game went into extra time where an unlikely hero rose up, Martin Braithwaite. The number 9 scored in the 95' minute to complete the amazing comeback and send Barcelona into the Copa del Rey final. With everything going on with Barcelona this season, nobody was sure whether this comeback would happen but Barcelona showed the world a glimpse of what they are capable of with the Sevilla takedown.

Ronald Koeman's men made their presence strongly known as Barcelona dominated the game from the beginning, doing whatever it took to win. They peppered Sevilla with shots, attempting 22 in total with a solid 8 on target. The Barca defense also did a great job at holding off Sevilla's forwards, only allowing 6 shots with a mere 3 on target. And it's even a miracle Sevilla got 6 shots off with them only having 32% of the possession as Barcelona kept control of the ball for most of the game with 68% possession. From the start, Barcelona controlled the tempo and speed of the game, playing with their high pressing side with 4 attacking midfielders and 2 forwards. Koeman seemed to know he would need every firepower he could get, playing a very offensive minded team in contrast to Julen Lopetegui's classic 4-3-3 formation. And Koeman's decision paid off as Barcelona tested Sevilla's defence til the very end while being able to limit Sevilla's forwards. For the first time this season, Koeman was able to bring back the formidable team Barcelona once were.

This incredible win by Barcelona is a very positive sign for the team who was just recently battered 4-1 by Paris-Saint Germain. That team looked like they were lacking confidence, skill, and passion. But this time, it was the opposite as Koeman put out an energetic, motivated, and fiery team ready to do whatever it took to win. Koeman will look to keep this momentum going as Barcelona's second leg with PSG approaches. Lopetegui, however, will be heavily disappointed with this result, considering the 2-0 lead they held. Sevilla had a serious chance of progressing to the final with a solid team but that dream was crushed in 120 minutes. He will also not be very pleased with the two red cards Sevilla had with Fernando being sent off in the 92' minute and Luuk de Jong being sent off in the 103' minute. However, at the end of the day, Barcelona showed grit and determination as they put on a great performance to complete their comeback and move on to a shot at winning a trophy.