Sevilla recovers sensations with a solid victory against Mallorca
MADRID, 11 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Betis returned to the path of victory with a hard-fought win (2-3) against Almería at the Power Horse Stadium to once again get hooked on the Champions League positions and forget the setbacks against Barcelona and Celta de Vigo, while Athletic Club delved into Valencia’s wound (1-2) and Sevilla recovered sensations after beating Mallorca (2-0) on matchday 21 of LaLiga Santander.
The team led by Manuel Pellegrini successfully paid off their visit to Almería thanks in part to an overwhelming start that soon paid off. Barely four minutes had elapsed when Rodri took advantage of a shot at the post by Borja Iglesias to make it 0-1. It was difficult for the local team to react, even conceding the 0-2 but canceled for offside, but Rubi’s men took advantage of a defensive error to tie.
Luis Suárez, who had already had the goal in his boots in the first minutes, shot Rui Silva inside the area (1-1). However, the goal did not dissipate the momentum of a Betis who wanted to continue with their game plan. Thus, the Verdiblancos were a headache for the defense of the locals with almost continuous approaches on Fernando’s goal, who saw how the stick saved him again against Borja Iglesias.
In one of those arrivals, Canales put the culmination of a frantic first part with a goal of the house. The Spaniard controlled a good ball from Rodri with his chest and ended up defining with a masterful Vaseline to the astonishment of the entire public (1-2).
With everything to decide, Almería went all out in the second half, but the great success of Rui Silva and the offside, in the disallowed goal for Melero, made a team from Almería despair that had to wait until minute 60 to finally see goal. Although with some suspense, due to the VAR review, Samú Costa sent a clearance from the goalkeeper to Chumi’s shot into the back of the net.
Betis did not acknowledge the blow, which, as in the first part, managed to stop the momentum of Almería. Thus, those of Pellegrini responded with the same goal after ten minutes that silenced the stands. Guardado became great after a corner kick launched by Canales and with a great header he beat Fernando. Ayoze was able to make the fourth in the dying minutes, but he sent the ball high.
For its part, Athletic Club beat Valencia (1-2) with a hard-fought victory that they completed at the end of the second half with a goal from Oihan Sancet. ‘Los Leones’ took three gold points from Mestalla in their European aspirations, to the detriment of a ‘che’ team that has five consecutive defeats and occupies relegation places, in total crisis and with massive protest towards the box.
The team led by Voro came onto the pitch with the clearest ideas, even getting the first chances. Despite Cavani’s injury, Samu Castillejo’s goal after 20 minutes made us forget the sorrows of a Valencia that wanted to start redeeming itself in front of its fans. However, the lack of success in the following bars ended up taking its toll, giving wings to an Athletic that had been quite unplugged up to that moment.
Thus, a genius from Nico Williams, who started a counterattack in three quarters of the field and after shooting the diagonal put his toe in to beat Mamardashvili, ended up closing a somewhat unfair first half for the Valencianistas, who were able to extend their lead before go to rest if it weren’t for the reflexes of a very successful Unai Simón.
Although after the restart the exchange of blows continued on the pitch, bad luck ended up taking over Voro’s men when the rojiblanco team took advantage of another great goal after 72 minutes to turn the game around and sign the sentence for a Valencia that already could not react.
Iñaki Williams placed a first ball to the penalty spot from where Sancet did not miss to raise the second to the scoreboard. The ‘Lince’, who is still in a state of grace after his hat-trick last week against Cádiz, signed the winning goal for an Athletic that knew how to resist in the final stages the arreones, without much success, of the Valencia, in another blow to the ‘che’ as in the Cup.
SEVILLA TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE PIZJUÁN FACTOR
In addition, Sevilla recovered from the defeat against Barcelona last Sunday with a solid win (2-0) against Mallorca. Jorge Sampaoli’s men, who seem to have soared after a bad first half of the season, firmly prevailed over a poor Balearic team that could not confirm the good image given the previous day against Real Madrid.
At the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, the Seville team was a roller throughout the first half to put an end to the hopes of Javier Aguirre’s men with a stroke of the pen. The good performance of the newcomers Pape Gueye and Bryan Gil, in addition to the return to the starting eleven of Suso and Jesús Navas, was too much punishment for a Mallorca that could only defend itself until minute 28. Gueye filtered a good ball to En Nesyri who, after winning the back of the entire defense, he made it 1-0 on the scoreboard.
From there, the local team did not stop in its efforts and continued to attack the goal of the vermilion team with a siege of lateral crosses and arrivals from the wing that ended up working. Navas, who was being very persistent by his band, caused an error in Nastasic’s clearance that Bryan Gil took advantage of to put the second before the break, on the return of the man from Cádiz to Sánchez Pizjuán.
Already in the second part, Sampaoli’s team slowed down to try to sleep a game that was already sentenced. Although Mallorca threatened with some timid approach on Bono’s goal, the lack of success and the defensive solidity of a very applied Sevilla ended up closing a clash that allows the locals to reach the first leg of the 1/16 of Europa League next Thursday.