SEVILLA 1-4 FC BARCELONA
FAIR EXPULSION? Fermín López saw the direct red against Sevilla
Published:9/02/2025 - 22:56h
Updated:10/02/2025 - 12:02h
Fermín López had a brief but decisive appearance in the Sevilla-FC Barcelona match this Sunday. The midfielder replaced Gavi at halftime, scored the partial 1-2 in the 46th minute, and was sent off in the 62nd minute.
FC Barcelona ended up with ten players against Sevilla (1-4) due to the expulsion of Fermín López in the 62nd minute. The 21-year-old player received a red card from referee Hernández Hernández for a violent tackle on the Swiss Djibril Sow. Initially, the referee showed him a yellow card, as the '16' managed to deflect the ball before hitting the Sevilla player. However, VAR requested a review of the play, and the referee opted to overturn the yellow card, sending off the player from El Campillo for considering it a violent action.
Fermín had come on for Gavi at halftime and, in the first ball he touched, scored the second goal for Barça, his fifth of the season in 25 appearances. The Barça midfielder headed in a perfect cross from Pedri into the small area, anticipating Lewandowski to leave goalkeeper Nyland with no options. However, he was on the field for just a quarter of an hour after seeing the first red card of his career. With Barça, López has received 8 yellow cards in 67 matches.
Fermín, third player sent off from Barça in LaLiga 2024/25
For the azulgrana team, this was the third expulsion so far in LaLiga 2024/25, after the red cards received by Ferran Torres and Marc Casadó in the first half of the tournament. The 'Shark' saw a direct red in matchday 6 against Girona (1-4) in the 86th minute, a match where he played just 17 minutes (having come on for Lewandowski in the second half). Casadó, for his part, was sent to the locker room against Celta (2-2) after receiving two yellow cards in just seven minutes (75' and 82').
So far, no opposing player from Barça has been sent off this season in LaLiga, a tournament where, since the implementation of VAR, the culés have recorded 4 expulsions after reviews on the monitor. Barça will likely appeal Fermín's expulsion, as it was a purely interpretative play. The midfielder's tackle was strong, but it did not fully impact his opponent and, previously, he made contact with the ball before sweeping Sow. The match was very eventful for Hansi Flick's team, as Ronald Araujo had previously left due to injury in the 22nd minute.
