Barcelona defeated Sevilla to complete yet another vital win in their La Liga campaign. Barcelona starlet Pedri scored the only goal of the match in the 72nd minute as he went past two defenders, faking shots and then smashing the ball into the net to beat Yassine Bounou.
The teenager made the difference yet again for his side at a time of desperation, just like he did for the first goal against Galatasaray in the second leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie.
The resemblance between the two goals is uncanny. After the game, the Barca midfielder explained more about his magnificent solo effort.
“The goal? It’s similar to the one I scored in Turkey. When I see a tackle, I dummy, and when I hit the ball, I knew it would go in. I’m very happy and I feel very loved. Barça’s fans are the best in the world,” Pedri said as per Marca.
The 19-year-old has established himself as one of the most instrumental players in Xavi's system. He has become an instant fan favorite with rapid growth at Camp Nou.
Now Barcelona is leading the chasing pack
The Blaugrana are on an unreal streak, avoiding defeats in their last 14 La Liga games. They have now won six in a row. They were fourth in the standings before La Liga's gameweek 30, two spots behind Sevilla.
Xavi's men knew that defeating the visitors would be a challenge as Julen Lopetegui's side were unbeaten in 15 games. But the contest was all about high risk and high rewards.
The Catalan giants piled on the pressure in the last 20 minutes before breaking the deadlock to move up to second place in the table.
They are still 12 points behind league leaders Real Madrid. Barcelona still have a game in hand, and playing catch-up with Real seems like a real possibility at this point.
The next La Liga game for Xavi's squad is a midweek trip to Deutsche Bank Park for the Europa League quarter-finals against Bundesliga's Eintracht Frankfurt. They return to domestic action at the weekend with an away clash against relegation-bound Levante.