NEW DELHI: Sergio Ramos, the "Real Madrid legend," had an unexpected turn of events when his own goal handed his old rival Barcelona a 1-0 win over Sevilla in La Liga, catapulting the Catalans to the top of the table.
In the 76th minute, the veteran centre-back inadvertently deflected Lamine Yamal's header into his own net, breaking the deadlock in what had been a closely contested match.
The 37-year-old had mentioned earlier in the week that he had planned a special goal celebration in the event that he scored against Barcelona after his return to Spain from Paris Saint-Germain during the summer. However, putting the ball into his own net was definitely not part of the plan.
Barcelona's victory propelled them to the top of the table, surpassing Girona, with their neighbors, third-place Real Madrid, set to face Girona the following day.
"It's an important win for us, we deserved it from start to finish," expressed midfielder Gavi to DAZN. "We had clear chances in the first half to go in calmly at the break ... but (in the end) we won."
Before the match, Sevilla caused a stir by announcing that their directors would not participate in the traditional lunch or sit in the presidential box in protest of Barcelona's involvement in a refereeing corruption scandal. The Catalan club and some of its former directors had been charged with bribery just a day before.
Xavi made some tactical changes, starting winger Raphinha in an attacking midfield role with Lamine Yamal on the flank, aiming for more dynamism behind striker Robert Lewandowski. The coach also shifted Ilkay Gundogan to a holding midfield position alongside Gavi, relegating Oriol Romeu to the bench following his struggles in the Mallorca draw.
While Barcelona made early attempts, including Joao Felix hitting the crossbar after an impressive run by Joao Cancelo, Sevilla remained dangerous on the counter-attack. Marc-Andre ter Stegen made crucial saves, and Gavi blocked a shot with his chest to thwart Lucas Ocampos.
Xavi's experiment with Raphinha was cut short due to injury, and he was replaced by La Masia graduate Fermin Lopez. Lewandowski had a golden opportunity to put Barcelona ahead, but Sevilla's goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland, made a remarkable save.
Barcelona continued to press for the opening goal, with Gavi's shot deflected narrowly over. Eventually, an unlikely source provided the breakthrough, as Ramos inadvertently directed Yamal's header into the net past Nyland.
Ramos, who had faced whistles from Barcelona fans due to his history with Real Madrid, received ironic cheers as his own goal was replayed on the stadium's big screen.
Until the own goal, Ramos had performed admirably, helping keep Barcelona at bay. He made a crucial block to deny Lewandowski in stoppage time, but the damage had already been done.
"It was a hard-fought game, what we expected it would be, and we had a lot of chances," said Rakitic to DAZN. "We have a lot to improve. There were some interesting things today, but I want to win. Our ambition is to try and win every game."
(With AFP inputs)
