The hosts began assertively as Yassine Bounou produced a sublime double-save within 60 seconds to prevent Los Piratas from plundering some early treasure. However, even without the exploits of topscorer Vedat Muriqi, in the wake of the Kosovo international’s red card against Elche CF, Mallorca continued to set the attacking tone in Palma de Mallorca, while Sevilla struggled in the final third as a false nine formation initially failed to puncture the hosts.
However, with HT approaching, Sevilla were fortunate not to enter the dressing room with a numerical disadvantage following Javier Iglesias Villanueva’s decision not to award Gonzalo Montiel a second yellow card for a late challenge. The after-effects of a creditable 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League in midweek were plain to see, leaving Jorge Sampaoli with some crucial decisions to freshen up his troops.
In a radical shift, Sampaoli’s opposite number replaced José Ángel Carmona with Jesús Navas at HT, and Marcão and Tanguy Nianzou’s centre-back pairing was converted into a three. However, in his elongated pursuit of an overdue H2H managerial success over Sevilla, Javier Aguirre was left to ponder if his disheartening record would continue, as Sevilla took the lead in the 53rd minute courtesy of Gudelj’s stunning 30+ yard strike.
Desperate for a response, Aguirre introduced Amath Ndiaye and Antonio Sánchez, with his side still yet to land a second-half shot on target. But Sevilla remained in the ascendancy, despite a late goal-line clearance from Marcão, as a much-needed victory temporarily moved Sampaoli's side out of the relegation zone. In contrast, Mallorca remain just one position above Los Rojiblancos, after only two wins from nine league matches in the current LL campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nemanja Gudelj (Sevilla)
