Barcelona end season with narrow win over Sevilla as Xavi signs off

Fermin Lopez’s second-half piledriver ensured Barcelona sent Xavi off a winner, defeating Sevilla in the final La Liga game of the season.

The match was an entertaining affair in which both sides could have hit the net on many more occasions.

Indeed after Youssef En-Nesyri coolly equalised Robert Lewandowski’s close-range volley, Barcelona struck the woodwork twice through Pedri and Joao Cancelo, and Sevilla from Dodi Lukebakio’s header.

Barcelona were more dominant in the second period and only fine stops from Orjan Nyland prevented Pedri and Fermin adding to the scoreline before the latter settled the affair with a low 20-yard rocket.

The result sees Barcelona end the last of Xavi’s three campaigns in charge 10 points behind Real Madrid in second spot, while Sevilla finished in a disappointing 14th.

The strong performances of Pedri and Fermin Lopez gave an indication of what will drive Barcelona’s next glory era, whoever it may be under. That pair’s combination, with Pedri inevitably finding the runs of Fermin, could also pay dividends for Spain boss Luis de la Fuente this summer at the Euros.

Making his debut at the start of the campaign, Fermin has amassed 41 appearances and performed admirably, especially as he didn’t have the benefit Pedri and Gavi did of having Sergio Busquets’ expert hand to guide them from a deeper position. Of course, the season’s headline grabber has been 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who had a quieter game tonight but will only get better in the coming seasons, with Gavi’s return from injury set to be a huge boon when it happens.

Barca’s next manager is surely likely to concentrate on improving the defence, which was statistically Barcelona’s worst for 11 years, but he has plenty to work with as the current generation of La Masia talent looks ready to blossom further.

Fermin is as dangerous without the ball as he is in possession and shapes as being the goalscoring midfielder Barcelona have not really had since Luis Enrique, who netted 108 goals for the Blaugrana. Fermin has ten in all competitions in his first campaign.

Sevilla: Nyland 7; Juanlu Sanchez 6, Bade 6, Sergio Ramos 6, Kike Salas 6, Adria Pedrosa 7; Soumare 6, Agoume 7; Ocampos 6, Lukebakio 7; En-Nesyri 7.

Subs: Marcao 6, Bueno 6, Gudelj 6, Diaz 6, Veliz.

Barcelona: Ter Stegen 7; Kounde 6, Pau Cubarsi 6, Inigo Martinez 6, Cancelo 6; Christensen 6, Pedri 8, Gundogan 7; Yamal 7, Lewandowski 7, Fermin 9*.

Subs: Romeu 6, Ferran Torres 7, Joao Felix 6, Vitor Roque 6, Fort Garcia 6.

15′ GOAL! SEVILLA 0-1 BARCELONA (LEWANDOWSKI)! Cancelo runs into the box and then cuts back on his left foot and clips a ball to the back post where Lewandowski meets it with a karate kick from inside the six-yard box.

24′ GOOD STOP FROM TER STEGEN! Lukebakio raced onto a long ball from his own half and turned inside Martinez, but his shot was saved by the Dutch stopper diving to his right.

31′ GOAL! SEVILLA (EN-NESYRI) 1-1 BARCELONA! Soumare slips a ball through for En-Nesyri and his diagonal run beats the off side trap and from a narrow angle the striker slides the ball under ter Stegen.at the near post.

34′ WHAT A SAVE! Lewandowski heads Fermin’s cross back to the centre of the goal and it appeared Pedri had wrong-footed Nyland but the keeper instinctively clawed back to tip the ball over the bar.

38′ PEDRi SHOOTS AGAINST THE BAR! Initially he set up his fellow La Masia academy product Fermin in the box, but when he lost control of the ball it fell back to Pedri who swung with his left foot and it clipped the top of the bar.

44′ CANCELO SHOOTS AGAINST THE POST! He turns in from the left flank and fires an effort towards the near post, coming back off the woodwork.

45′ OFF THE POST AT THE OTHER END! Lukebakio rises high to head unchallenged in the box and his effort has Ter Stegen beaten but comes back off the post.

54′ GREAT STOP FROM NYLAND! Pedri with a perfect pass into the path of Fermin’s diagonal run but Nyland blocked his effort. The flag went up but Fermin was not offside so a goal would have stood if not for the save.

59′ GOAL! SEVILLA 1-2 BARCELONA (FERMIN)! A fantastic strike cutting in from the left flank and drilling a ball low inside the near post.

72‘ PEDROSA CUTS IN FROM THE LEFT AND LAUNCHES SHOT! But Ter Stegen pushes the ball wide of the target.