2-0: OUR GREAT HOME FORM CONTINUES WITH A WIN AGAINST MALLORCA

It was another final, one of many. The teams at the bottom of the table were not giving anything up and the visit of a Mallorca side that had grown in strength after beating Real Madrid meant that they had to face the game with a fresh perspective and, above all, win the game. And Jorge Sampaoli's men did not fail to do so, refreshing the team by starting Gueye and Bryan Gil -perhaps the best alongside Navas and En-Nesyri this evening.

They went for the visitors from the start and left the three points well on track in the first half with goals from En-Nesyri and Bryan. The second half was not, understandably, of the same intensity. Mallorca wanted to cause problems, but the minutes went by without Bono having to work. A good jump in the table before returning to the Europa League on Thursday and thinking about the trip to Vallecas next Sunday, in which Jordán and Gudelj will be absent due to suspension.

With the pain of what happened at the Camp Nou still fresh in their minds, Sevilla came out from the very first minute to attack a Mallorca side with very compact lines and a clear desire to wait for the home side to make a mistake and to find their star player, Muriqui. With Bryan Gil at left-back and Jesus Navas having miraculously recovered on the right, Sevilla were able to play wide and soon had the Balearic side caught out. However, at first it was difficult to test Rajkovic because of the lack of space left by Aguirre's men.

It was Gudelj, in the seventh minute, who tried to replicate his goal at Son Moix from outside the area, but the ball went narrowly wide of the right-hand side of the Mallorcan goal. Suso, also from beyond the edge of the area, was the first to hit the target after almost a quarter of an hour, but his shot to finish off a long move of touches in the opposition half ended up in the Serbian goalkeeper's gloves.

Sevilla's chances were enough to break down the Mallorcan defence on the half-hour mark.

Sevilla definitively took control of the game through possession and speed. And En-Nesyri came close to scoring midway through the first half with a low shot in the six-yard box from Navas' cross. However, after lingering for a second, the ball was reflexively cleared for a corner by the Mallorca goalkeeper. In the next move, Rajkovic's own poor run forced his defence to clear their lines.

The crowd were spurring their team on as they saw them improve more and more, making chances that would eventually bear fruit just after the half-hour mark. A great through ball from Gueye to break through all the enemy lines, and a superb control by En-Nesyri, who beat all his opponents at speed and tested Rajkovic, who saw the ball slip under him to make it 1-0.

After En-Nesyri's spectacular start to the game, Bryan put the second on the board for Sevilla

At last there was a prize against a team that specializes in taking advantage of their opponent's risk. However, Sampaoli's men kept on looking for a goal. A header by Gueye and a shot by Suso were not satisfied and kept looking for the goal. A header by Gueye and a shot by Suso near the post that ended in a corner, were the showcase of this incisive Sevilla. Gueye had another chance after a smart cutback from Bryan, but it was five minutes before halftime when the second was scored.

Great build-up play from En-Nesyri saw the ball get over to the wing and put it long for Jesus Navas, who as in his best years, pulled speed to end up crossing to the far post. Nastasic and Maffeo did not clear, and Bryan scored on the day of his return to the Sánchez-Pizjuan, on his 22nd birthday too. It was a great display from Sevilla in a first half in which and whilst it was a 2-0 scoreline, the scoreboard did not quite reflect the superiority against a Mallorca side that had hardly challenged Bono.

The second half was much more balanced. Mallorca started to dominate the midfield battle. Despite this, Aguirre's team lacked the precision to get into the game and both Navas -who would be replaced by Montiel after 60 minutes- and Bryan, reduced the pressure in certain phases of the match.

As the minutes passed, some players ran out of gas, such as En-Nesyri, who worked hard in attack and defense until Ocampos took his place. At the same time, Rakitic replaced Suso. Mallorca had good moments but were unable to reduce the deficit, with Sevilla unable to score a third. Jordán and Acuña were the final replacements for Sampaoli's team, who helped to maintain the lead and ensure the side move up in the standings.