THE NAVAS-DE JONG CONNECTION

Sevilla FC began their league season with a win yesterday against Cádiz. The 3-1 victory, in addition to being the first away win of the season, was the 16th consecutive game that Sevilla have not tasted defeat in La Liga, with Bayern Munich the only team capable of beating Sevilla in all competitions since February. Sevilla's comeback, after Salvi's trike, was kickstarted through an excellent header from Luuk de Jong, a goal which encapsulated a thriving connection at the club.

De Jong met Jesús Navas' cross from the right-wing perfectly - the fifth goal that Navas has assisted for the Dutch striker. The equaliser, which initiated the comeback that Munir and Rakitić would complete, was another clear sign of the connection between the two players, with the Dutch striker becoming the player with the most headed goals, five, since the start of the 2019/20 season, four of them assisted by the club captain.

Levante, Granada, Inter Milan twice, and Cádiz have fallen victim to De Jong's headers

De Jong started the run against Levante UD last season at the Sánchez-Pizjuán, securing a win in added time. He would later open the scoring at home against Granada - another cross from Navas. In the Europa League, the Dutch striker turned home another assist from the Spaniard against Manchester United - this time with his feet - and then against Inter Milan he scored a brace, one assist coming from Navas and the other from Éver Banega. Lastly, at the Ramón de Carranza, the striker connected with a Navas cross once more to keep adding to his goal tally at the club, having now reached a dozen.

Yesterday's assist was Navas 104th for the club, having got his 100th in Butarque, with the following three coming against SD Eibar and in the Europa League. Sevilla's captain is evergreen, and in De Jong he now has a constant target for his whipped crosses.