Sevilla 2-1 Espanyol
There was last-gasp drama in Seville tonight as Wissam Ben Yedder fired the Rojiblancos up to second in the table with his 89th-minute winner against a brave Espanyol side.
In the big game at the top of La Liga, 38,000 fans packed the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to see a ding-dong battle between the teams which began the weekend second and third. While Atletico Madrid and Alaves also won in the title race the big La Liga 2018 news of the day came from the Camp Nou, where Real Betis beat the league leaders 3-4 in a spectacular game.
And all that means that Pablo Machin’s side is just a single point behind Barca after 12 games.
The SBOBET odds of a Sevilla win at 1.79 reflected the hosts’ outstanding home form and they have now won six on the run at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Espanyol head coach Rubi is doing a great job in Barcelona since arriving from Huesca in the summer and he can feel a little unlucky to head back to Catalonia empty-handed after his side was ahead as late as the 70th minute.
Highlights of the game
Having briefly led La Liga before defeat to Barcelona, Sevilla have a taste for life at the top and set off in a determined mood. Quincy Promes was within inches of giving them the lead, getting on the end of a superb Franco Vazquez cross, but his header from close range crashed against the bar.
Pablo Sarabia, Vazquez and Sergio Garcia all came close, the latter forcing a smart save as his shot arrowed towards the top corner. In-form striker Andre Silva, who was doubtful in the run-up to the game but was pronounced fit to play, headed inches over on the half-hour.
The La Liga 2018 odds still haven’t awoken to the likelihood of Espanyol lasting the course, but they maybe had a slight shudder when Borja Iglesias netted his seventh goal of the season. The 25-year-old striker is in red-hot form, scoring the winner last week against Athletic Bilbao to lift Espanyol to second. And he was the man on hand to give the visitors a lead, against the run of play, by converting a pass from Sergi Darder. It was a typical poacher’s goal that gave Rubi’s team an unlikely half-time lead as Silva and Jesus Navas both came close for the hosts before the break.
Early in the second half, Esteban Granero forced a great save from Sevilla keeper Tomas Vaclik with a long-range effort, and Iglesias gave the stopper some more work to do, shooting low towards the corner. But it was Sevilla who pressed more with efforts from Silva and Sarabia, and eventually, their reward came on 70 minutes when Gabriel Mercado got on the end of a corner to fire home.
The Espanyol defence briefly came under siege, and keeper Diego Lopez was in fine form to keep out a low drive from Silva and a header from Daniel Carrico. But the visitors came out fighting again, and Garcia brought another good save from Vaclik.
But with the clock running down, up popped Ben Yedder to grab all three points, keeping his nerve to fire home from an Ever Banega cross to send the home fans into delirium.
Key Statistics
Sevilla look to have more depth in their squad. That should bode well for the rest of the season and it eventually told today as Espanyol’s resistance was broken with minutes remaining.
It was a cracking contest with 23 to 15 shots in favour of the hosts, and the keepers were busy as Sevilla had ten on target and Espanyol seven.
Borja Iglesias scored his fifth goal in the last four league games, but Sevilla pressed on to inflict Espanyol’s first defeat in seven.
Sevilla are making the Ramon Sanchez a fortress and have won the last five home games.
What’s next?
After the international break, Sevilla are at home to Valladolid. Their opponents have made a good start to their Primera Division campaign and are up in seventh place on 17 points.
Meanwhile, Espanyol host Girona in a Catalonia derby; they are also on 17 points but behind Valladolid on goal difference. Rubi’s team can take heart: they have been far more impressive at home this season and are still only three points behind Barcelona at the top of the league.
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