Barcelona defender Jordi Alba had the ball thrown in his face by Sevilla defender Jules Kounde during the clash between the two sides in La Liga on Tuesday, December 12.
The two players were battling for the ball on the sideline when Kounde completely lost his temper and hurled the ball at the Barca left-back who went down holding his face, as shown by ESPN.
Jules Kounde gets a straight red for throwing the ball at Jordi Alba’s face 😳
The Sevilla center-back was shown a straight red card for his actions, leaving the hosts to play the final 30 minutes of the match with just 10 men at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
Sevilla had taken the lead in the match when Papu Gomez fired home from a well-worked corner on the half-hour mark. However, Barcelona hit back just minutes before half-time when Ronald Araujo equalized with a towering header from a corner.
Barcelona couldn’t manage to make the man advantage count as Sevilla held on for a a point. Ousmane Dembele came closest to finding a winner with a fierce shot that hit the woodwork. The result means Sevilla stay in second place, while Barca end the year in seventh place in the table.
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Kounde Is Xavi’s ‘Dream’ Signing?
Kounde’s dismissal came amid speculation that the France international is actually Barcelona manager Xavi’s “dream” signing, although the defender is currently out of the Catalans’ financial reach.
Xavi is said to be keen to strengthen his backline “urgently” and would love to be able to bring in Kounde, but is aware it’s impossible because of the defender’s €80 million release clause, as reported by Diario Sport.
European champions Chelsea tried to land Kounde last summer but were unable to convince Sevilla to sell. The Blues were willing to offer €60 million which was not enough to convince the Andalusian side to allow the center-back to leave.
Busquets & Gavi Pick Up Suspensions
Kounde is not the only player facing a suspension after Tuesday’s match. Barcelona midfielders Sergio Busquets and Gavi will also serve one-match bans after receiving their fifth yellow cards of the 2021-22 season.
Busquets was booked after just 10 minutes for a foul on Lucas Ocampos, while Gavi saw yellow for a foul on Fernando late in the second half. The bookings mean the duo will miss Barca’s first La Liga game of 2022 against Real Mallorca on January 2.
Xavi doesn’t lack for options when it comes to replacing the two players. The Barca coach should have Pedri back from injury in January and can also call upon Frenkie de Jong, Nico Gonzalez, and Riqui Puig.
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Barcelona’s Jordi Alba Has Ball Hurled In His Face [WATCH]