BARCELONA, Feb 6: Barcelona took advantage of Real Madrid’s stumble to kick off the second half of the season with another win and enjoy its biggest lead so far at the top of the Spanish league.
After Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Mallorca, Barcelona extended its 10-game winning streak in all competitions with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sevilla on Sunday to open an eight-point lead over Madrid after 20 of 38 rounds.
It is the biggest lead by any team this season, putting the Catalan club in firm control as it chases its first league title since 2018-19.
“We are having a great season. We have been playing well, not giving many chances for our opponents,” Barcelona defender Jordi Alba said. “It’s eight points. There’s a lot of league left, but it’s a good gap.”
Alba, Gavi and Raphinha scored a goal each in the second half to give Barcelona its fifth straight victory in the league.
The last game Barcelona failed to win was a 1-1 league draw against Espanyol last year. Sevilla, which got off to a surprisingly awful start to the season, was coming off two straight league wins that had helped it move further away from the relegation zone. It dropped to 16th place with the loss, two points from the drop zone. Sevilla hasn’t won in 15 league matches against Barcelona, and in 20 straight visits to the Catalan club.
Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets had to be replaced eight minutes into the match at Camp Nou with an apparent ankle sprain.
Sociedad stalls
Real Sociedad missed a chance to move within three points of Madrid after losing 1-0 to Valladolid at home.
It was the third winless game for the Basque Country club after a nine-game winning streak in all competitions. Sociedad was coming off a 1-0 loss to Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, and a 0-0 draw at Madrid in the league.
Newly signed Canadian forward Cyle Larin scored a second-half winner for 13th-place Valladolid, which has won two in a row after five straight losses in all competitions.
Valencia struggle again
Valencia’s struggles continued with a 1-0 defeat at Girona, a result that extended its losing streak to five matches in all competitions.
Valencia has only one win in its last 12 league matches and is sitting just outside the relegation zone.
Girona moved to 11th place. (PTI)
