“This draw tastes bittersweet,” Xavi said to Marca after the draw in Sevilla . “I find it hard to accept that we didn’t win here. We had Seville where we wanted them. So it will be difficult to get to sleep tonight.’
The Barça coach saw his team with one more man on the field from the 63rd minute after Koundé threw the ball in his face after an altercation with Jordi Alba on the sidelines. Barcelona, with Frenkie de Jong in the base and Luuk de Jong as a substitute, dominated in Seville and had the necessary opportunities to leave with a win.
“We are on the right track and this is the Barcelona people want, but in the end it’s the results that count. We’ve had some good moments. Sevilla has a very experienced team and is tactically very strong. Ultimately, we need to become more patient and more careful with the opportunities. This was a golden opportunity to move towards the Champions League spots,” said Xavi, who remains in seventh place with Barca in La Liga.
Fighting spirit
Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui, who had made a base for Karim Rekik, was in turn satisfied with the fighting spirit of his team, especially with ten men. “We really fought and showed character,” said Lopetegui, who had warned his team ahead of Ronald Araújo’s 1-1. “We were familiar with Araújo’s qualities, but we were no match for him.”
“In the second half we started strong and dominated. That made Barcelona doubt. After the red card we had to take a step back, but in the end Barça got one big chance. That was Ousmane Dembélé’s late attempt. My team has played exceptionally with ten men,” said the coach of Sevilla, number two in La Liga, five points behind leaders Real Madrid.
