Typical gasoline readily ignites when aerosolized, but is very stable as a liquid (Makes it relatively easy and safe to transport). You could throw a lit match into a barrel of gas and it would most likely just go out, assuming there were no gas vapors present.

A car uses devices such as a carburetor or fuel injectors to purposely aerosolize the liquid gasoline in tiny, tiny spurts, mix it with air and then ignite it using the spark plugs. This creates a small explosion. The power of the explosion in the engine moves a piston. The piston movement turns other stuff and yada yada ultimately powers the car.

So a whole match ON FIRE can fail to ignite a barrel of gasoline, but a teeny tiny spark (from the spark plugs), under the right circumstances, can light a tiny aeresolized and oxygen-rich charge of fuel, and turn that into energy.