Barcelona Falls to Sevilla in Copa del Rey Meeting

It took 28 games and five months, but it finally happened. FC Barcelona met defeat at the hands of Sevilla FC during their 'Final Sixteen' match in Barcelona yesterday. With both sides fielding teams of mostly second-string players, the game was definitely up in the air.

A surprising addition to the Barcelona side was Gabi Milito, playing his first game with Barcelona in a year and a half. The Argentinian was definitely not up to par with the rest of his team's defenders, but his presence on the field is a huge step toward his redevelopment as a player.

Sevilla midfielder Capel scored in the 60th minute, giving his side a lead that Barcelona would level. Ibrahimovic, coming off the bench in the second half to take the place of Pedro, met the back of the net in he 74th minute, but the joy of a tie was short-lived. Seldom-used defender Chygrynskiy conceded a penalty kick for Sevilla that again gave them the lead a minute later. Alvaro Negredo took the kick, capping the win for Sevilla.

As previously stated, this was Barcelona's first loss all season. They are still undefeated in La Liga and the Champions' League cometitions, and they can still knock Sevilla out of the Copa del Rey on goals, should they score more than two goals in Sevilla in two weeks time.

The loss does, unfortunately, cast into harsh light the difference in talent between the first and second string at Barcelona, In my personal opinion, a strong team needs to have a second string that can come off of the bench and be just as strong as the first string. Although the presence of Messi, Iniesta, and Dani Alves improved the quality of the match exponentially, there were too many lost balls and missed passes on the part of Barca. In fact, Iniesta, showing much of his pre-injury flair, was the saving grace of the game.

An improved second string, which means more concentration from Bojan Krkic, less flamboyant fouling from Chygrynskiy, and more experience for Thiago, is necessary if Barcelona wants to use their second string and continue winning.