Barcelona on Sunday dropped their first points of the season as Sevilla made a statement of intent in La Liga’s title race by drawing 1-1 at the Camp Nou.
Luuk de Jong gave Sevilla an early lead and while Philippe Coutinho leveled two minutes later, the visitors were arguably the better side in a frantic contest.
The draw brings an end to Ronald Koeman’s perfect start as Barca coach, but he might not be too displeased with a point.
Photo: AFP
“We were less energetic than in the first two games, but that also depends on the opposition,” Koeman said. “They have defended well.”
Real Madrid are three points ahead of Barcelona having played a game more after a 2-0 win over Levante UD that sent them to the top of the table.
Goals from Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema sealed the victory.
“We had to suffer,” Real coach Zinedine Zidane said. “We had chances in the second half to kill the game and that would have made it different. We suffered a lot because they also had chances.”
Neither Madrid nor Barca were expected to be busy on the final day of the transfer window yesterday.
However, some players could be allowed to leave and it was noticeable that Koeman left Ousmane Dembele on the bench, even as his team searched for a winner.
“Things can happen,” Koeman said afterward when asked about Dembele. “Right now he’s a Barca player, let’s see. There is one day left, players can come in or go out.”
Elsewhere, CA Osasuna defeated RC Celta de Vigo 2-0, Deportivo Alaves beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 and Cadiz were held to a 1-1 draw by Granada.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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