SAMPAOLI: "WE STEPPED UP IN THE SECOND HALF, WE WERE ALL OVER THEM"

Jorge Sampaoli, Sevilla FC coach, analysed this afternoon's match at the Sánchez-Pizjuán against Valencia CF, which ended in a 1-1 draw: "It was a game of two halves. A very flat first half and a very lively second where we took the game to them. We could have either won or lost, but I'll take the belief, we gave it our all."

"I have no idea what happened in the final moments. Those responsible for that have to assess it, I have nothing to do with it," he said with regards to the play in which the penalty was awarded.

Sampaoli was asked about Carmona, Nianzou and Marcao: "José Ángel got off to a bad start and was suffering with nerves. We preferred to put on a more experienced player so as not to harm him any more. Nianzou came off with a cramp and Marcão is suffering from muscle fatigue due to the high amount of minutes he's played and his lack of match sharpness after being out for a while."

Finally, the Argentinian coach was satisfied with the team's second half: "We stepped up in the second half. We were all over them and generated a lot of chances, something that didn't happen last time out despite us getting the win. I'm happy with the second half, honestly."