Sarabia celebrates his goal against Celta
Match reports

2-1: A HARD-FOUGHT WIN AGAINST A DIFFICULT CELTA

07/10/2018
A hard-fought win for Sevilla FC against a difficult Celta side. A superb header from Sarabia and a goal from Ben Yedder given from VAR were enough to give us the win against Mohamed's team, who even with only ten men put up a fight at the end after Boufal's goal.

There was pressure to win and move up in the league, but Sevilla did not show it and came through a tough game which was competitive until the end due to Boufal's goal. However, it was Sarabia and Ben Yedder's goals that ended up giving Sevilla the win to move ahead of Real Madrid in the league. Araujo's sending-off for two yellow cards was crucial in a win which brings Sevilla into the international break having won the past four games.

It didn't take long for Machín's team to show their ability, however the spaces that were available against Real Madrid on the counter could not be found against Antonio Mohamed's team. A rebound off Hugo Mallo at the start of the game could have made things difficult for Sergio Álvarez right at the start, but the side from Vigo were the most dangerous at the start of the game. Pione Sisto had a great chance after 15 minutes, however Vaclík was able to get down to save well. Sarabia soon replied with a long-range effort, but Cabral, in a set-piece, worried Sevilla again as Celta showed themselves to be strong in defence and dangerous in attack.

Celta came out fighting, but Sarabia's spectacular header brought Sevilla into the break 1-0 up

Meanwhile, Machín's plan was unfolding well, however Sevilla lacked composure in the final third and Celta seemed comfortable in defence. Franco Vázquez was one of the few players who managed to advance into their third after a dribble, only six minutes before the break, and it was Vázquez who managed to find an opening in Celta's defence. His dribble opened up space for Ben Yedder on the wing who over-hit his cross. Yet, Jesús Navas arrived to the ball in time and put in another cross for Sarabia who arrived from deep. The ball dropped perfectly onto the midfielder's head, and he put it past Sergio and put Sevilla into the lead.

Celta came out strongly after the break with Eckert's introduction for Sisto who had been dangerous in the first-half. But, in the fourth minute of the second-half, Ben Yedder had a great chance, putting the ball over the bar after a pass from André Silva. Just after, Vázquez had another chance, but there wasn't long to go until the game's key moment. Just after the hour mark, and in two consecutive actions, Araújo picked up two yellow cards. To add insult to injury for Mohamed's men, the second goal arrived almost immediately after, with a pass from Pablo Sarabia feeding Ben Yedder. Although the linesman ruled out the goal, the crowd celebrated as VAR gave the goal.

Although the linesman ruled out the second goal, VAR gave it to the joy of the crowd

Sevilla's best moments arrived in this part of the game. However, Sevilla were not able to kill the game off as they have been able to the past matches. It didn't seem like they needed to, however Boufal's introduction changed everything. Without Ben Yedder, who received a standing ovation as he was substituted for Quincy Promes, the away side reduced the deficit through the Moroccan, who whipped in a lovely shot from range past Vaclík. The usual nervousness that comes with a tight scoreboard arrived, but Sevilla showed themselves to be intelligent and calm and didn't allow Celta more opportunities on goal. Keeping possesison against a tired opponent, the last minutes eventually ran out and Sevilla secured the three points.

It's now time to recharge our batteries, except for the five internationals who fly out tomorrow to play with their national teams. In the meantime, Sevilla will have time to keep on working and savour their position in the league. After the break, we go to none other than the Camp Nou, in a match of the top two teams in the league.