Raphinha netted his second hat-trick in consecutive matches Barcelona cruised to a comfortable win over Sevilla, extending their lead at the top of La Liga.
The Brazilian, in excellent form, delivered a clinical finishing display at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, bringing his tally for the season to 14 goals across all competitions.
Raphinha had also scored a hat-trick in last Wednesday’s 7-2 victory over Racing Santander.
The win lifted Barcelona to 21 points—six ahead of both second-placed Real Madrid and third-placed Real Betis, though they had played one game more.
Real travel to city rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday (15:15 BST), while Betis head to Deportivo La Coruna (17:30).
Sevilla took the lead in the 19th minute when a well-worked move ended with Felix Correia’s cross to the near post, where Youssouf Fofana headed it in.
But Raphinha brought Barca level three minutes later, checking back inside before calmly striking the ball past Sevilla goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Teenager Lamine Yamal played a key role in Raphinha’s second in the 52nd minute, dribbling away from goal before clipping in a cross for the ex-Leeds man to head home.
Yamal provided again in the 69th minute, slipping in Raphinha with an exquisite pass, and the 29-year-old deftly chipped it over Vlachodimos.
It sealed a seventh consecutive league win for Barcelona, their eighth in all competitions while Sevilla stayed fifth on 13 points.
