Sergio Ramos Own Goal Against Sevilla

 Sergio Ramos Own Goal Against Sevilla

Sergio Ramos Own Goal Against Sevilla(Image-Getty)

Barcelona surged to the top of LaLiga, if only provisionally, with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at home against Sevilla on Friday, courtesy of an unusual own goal by veteran defender Sergio Ramos in the second half.

Sergio Ramos, who had previously been the captain of Real Madrid and was facing his old rivals Barcelona once again for the first time since 2020, found himself in an unfortunate situation. He attempted to block a header into the box by 16-year-old Lamine Yamal but inadvertently saw the ball cross the line in the 76th minute.

Interestingly, Ramos had once walked hand in hand with the young Barca forward Yamal in the tunnel when the latter served as a club mascot. However, his return to face Barcelona was marked by a hostile reception from home fans, who greeted his early touches with loud jeers and whistles. Nevertheless, a roar of delight echoed through the Montjuic Olympic Stadium, Barcelona's temporary home ground, when the 37-year-old defender scored an own goal.

Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar commented on the goal, saying, "When the opponent accumulates so many people in the box, it's very difficult to defend for so long without making a mistake. Sergio (Ramos) was there to clear the ball; it was a whimsical goal."

He added, "We thought Barcelona were going to play a different system. They accumulated a lot of people up front, and that made it very difficult for us to get out of the pressure."

With this result, Barcelona edged ahead of Girona by one point, although Girona has a game in hand. Meanwhile, Sevilla currently occupies the 12th position in the league standings.

Prior to kickoff, tensions between the two clubs were palpable due to the ongoing 'Negreira case.' Sevilla had declared that they would not have any representation in the stadium's VIP box. This decision was related to Barcelona being under investigation for suspected "active bribery" as part of a probe into suspected corruption spanning two decades at the refereeing committee, where Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira had been vice-president. Barcelona deemed this a baseless attack on the club, arguing that Sevilla was unjustly denying them their right to a defense in the legal process.

On the field, Barcelona initiated the match brightly. In the 22nd minute, Joao Felix unleashed a powerful shot that rattled off the underside of the crossbar and stayed out. Conversely, Gavi made a crucial goal-line block to thwart Lucas Ocampos at the other end.

After a goalless first half, Barcelona shifted gears and appeared far more threatening. Robert Lewandowski had a close encounter with the last defender, Juanlu Sanchez, who executed a timely tackle when the striker was poised to score. Gavi came close to heading in a goal but narrowly missed the target.

The complexion of the game changed dramatically after Sergio Ramos scored the own goal. Despite Sevilla having their share of opportunities, Barcelona managed to keep a clean sheet, preserving their unbeaten record in the season.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez commended Ramos, saying, "It's just the circumstances of life. It is also to Sergio's (Ramos) credit that he is still playing. It's a shame about the own goal, which was in our favor, but he's a great player and a professional, still at the top level."