Barcelona inches closer to Madrid rivals in Spanish league with 4-1 win at Sevilla

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona is making sure there will be a three-way fight for the Spanish league title.

The Catalan club moved closer to rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the top of the standings on Sunday by routing Sevilla 4-1.

Robert Lewandowski, Fermín López, Raphinha and Eric García scored a goal each as Barcelona took advantage of the 1-1 draw between Madrid and Atletico in the capital derby on Saturday.

Third-placed Barcelona is now two points behind leader Madrid and one point behind Atletico.

Barcelona had a comfortable away win despite playing with 10 men from the 62nd when López was sent off for a hard foul. The red card was shown after a video review.

It was the third straight league win for Barcelona, and its ninth victory in 11 matches across all competitions.

Sevilla, in 13th place, has won only one of its last five league games.

Lewandowski put Barcelona ahead in the seventh minute with his eighth goal in his last nine games in all competitions. Ruben Vargas equalized a minute later for the hosts before López put Barcelona back in front in the 46th. Raphinha added to the lead in the 55th and García sealed the win in the 89th.

“We needed to win to stay in contention and put some pressure on our rivals,” Barcelona defender Iñigo Martínez said. “The team is playing with a lot of confidence right now and we know that we can still improve. We need to stay on this track.”

Defender Jules Koundé made his 124th appearance for Barcelona, equaling the mark of Ludovic Giuly in fifth place for the most appearances for Barcelona by a French player. Éric Abidal tops that list with 193 appearances.

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo had to be substituted about 20 minutes into the match with a right ankle injury.

Brais Mendez scored an 84th-minute winner as seventh-placed Real Sociedad beat relegation-threatened Espanyol 2-1 at home.

Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Mouctar Diakhaby scored first-half goals as Valencia moved to 18th with a 2-0 home win over 17th-placed Leganes.

Mauro Arambarri converted a 44th-minute penalty to give 14th-placed Getafe a 1-0 road win over 19th-placed Alaves.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez a red card to Barcelona's Fermin Lopez during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Sevilla and FC Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Sevilla's Loic Bade jumps for the ball with Barcelona's Jules Kounde, right, during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Sevilla and FC Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, left, vies for the ball with Sevilla's Kike Salas during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Sevilla and FC Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Barcelona's Raphinha, left, and Dani Olmo celebrate at the end of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Sevilla and FC Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Sevilla's Marcao vies for the ball with Barcelona's Dani Olmo, left, during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Sevilla and FC Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Barcelona's Eric Garcia, foreground left, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's fourth goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Sevilla and FC Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Barcelona's Eric Garcia celebrates with Jules Kounde, left, after scoring his side's fourth goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Sevilla and FC Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Barcelona's Eric Garcia celebrates with Jules Kounde, left, after scoring his side's fourth goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Sevilla and FC Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

HANOI, Vietnam--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 13, 2026--

FPT, through its global IT services subsidiary FPT Software, has achieved ISO/IEC 42001:2023, the first global standard for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Management Systems. With this milestone, FPT became the first company in Vietnam and the second in Southeast Asia to earn this recognition, underscoring its commitment to responsible AI development and deployment with consideration for fairness and impartiality, privacy and security, safety, quality and robustness, governance, transparency and explainability.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260112494011/en/

The certification was issued by the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company SGS and qualified by ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board) - a leading U.S. accreditation body with global recognition. ISO/IEC 42001 specifies requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving AI management systems, allowing organizations to effectively manage risks and opportunities associated with AI, balancing innovation with compliance.

Achieving ISO/IEC 42001:2023 reflects FPT’s capability in AI governance, encompassing ethics, risk management, transparency, compliance, and ensuring alignment with both business goals and societal values. It also strengthens FPT’s position as a trusted technology partner for global organizations, especially those in highly regulated industries such as banking and financial services, automotive, healthcare, energy, and the public sector. The milestone further solidifies FPT’s position as an AI-first company, strengthening its foundation for scaling AI responsibly while helping clients navigate evolving regulatory, ethical, and operational challenges associated with AI adoption.

“As an AI-first company, we pledge to prioritize safety, ethics and accountability at every stage of our AI lifecycle. By continuously governing AI development and implementation processes, we provide our clients and partners with the assurance that our solutions are built with responsibility, transparency and adhere to international excellence,” said Dao Duy Cuong, FPT Software EVP and Chief Digital & Technology Officer, FPT Corporation.

FPT actively promotes responsible AI development as a founding member of the AI Alliance led by IBM and Meta, and the Vietnam Ethical AI Committee. The company is committed to embedding rigorous AI governance across its global operations and solution portfolio, including its flagship AI platform FleziPT, which boosts productivity by 30%, accelerates development by 60% and reduces 50% in rework. The company also maintains co-creation partnerships with global leaders like AWS, Microsoft, SAP, and NVIDIA to deliver tailored solutions for industry-specific challenges. Supporting these efforts is a workforce of over 25,000 AI-augmented, globally certified engineers, and world-class infrastructure including cutting-edge AI Factories in Vietnam and Japan, which have been ranked among the world’s Top 40 fastest supercomputers. Expanding its AI footprint, FPT is developing a new Research Center in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam, which is expected to become a critical component of its global AI development network, supporting high-quality talent cultivation for both the local community and the nation.

About FPT

FPT Corporation (FPT) is a globally leading technology and IT services provider headquartered in Vietnam, operating in three core sectors: Technology, Telecommunications, and Education. Over more than three decades, FPT has consistently delivered impactful solutions to millions of individuals and tens of thousands of organizations worldwide. As an AI-first company, FPT is committed to elevating Vietnam’s position on the global tech map and delivering world-class AI-enabled solutions for global enterprises. FPT focuses on three critical transformations: Digital Transformation, Intelligence Transformation, and Green Transformation. In 2024, FPT reported a total revenue of USD 2.47 billion and a workforce of over 54,000 employees across its core businesses. For more information about FPT's global IT services, please visit https://fptsoftware.com.

FPT received ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification during the certification award ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam