On Saturday afternoon, Barcelona pulled off a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Sevilla FC. However, one question has remained after the victory: Did Barcelona really deserve the win?
This is not a question relating the club's overall performance and whether the better team won. While those are conversations certainly worth having, the real issue concerns a goal taken away from Sevilla that would have likely changed the entire match.
Let us set the scene.
The score is 1-0 in favor of Blaugrana. However, not everything is okay for the reigning Spanish League and Spanish Super Cup champions. The opposition is playing an aggressive style that's stymieing their world-famous passing game. Sevilla is preparing a corner kick. Defender Cala runs in and heads the cross into the Barcelona goal to tie the score at 1-1. However, the play is immediately whistled a foul; initial replays make it hard to figure out what was going on but repeat viewings show that Cala actually made a slight foul on one of the Barcelona defenders to get to the ball.
Barcelona would take a 2-0 lead, but Sevilla would bounce back with two goals in the final 10 minutes to draw even. Barcelona eventually won it in injury time, but at least one Sevilla player felt robbed.
"Everyone can see we were robbed. We're angry. I don't want to say anything further because I might be suspended for what I have to say," said Sevilla defender Fernando Navarro, according to Inside Spanish Football.
Barcelona now sits atop the table with Atletico Madrid thanks to their four wins in four matches. However, this match proved that the once invincible Barcelona could truly be on the decline and might need a few doses of luck to get through this season.