Deportivovs
SevillaSevilla left Riazor with three points and very little drama. One goal, one red card, and enough defensive discipline to see it through — that was the night in full.
The first half was even enough that neither side could claim they'd earned the right to win it. Deportivo held 53% of the ball across the 90 minutes and kept things tight going into the break, but the stats flattered them. Sevilla were the more threatening team, and the second half made that plain.
Sierra Breaks the Deadlock
Miguel Sierra settled it seven minutes after the restart. The goal came in the 52nd minute and, once it did, the match took a shape that never really changed. Deportivo had the possession but not the punch — four shots total, three on target — and Sevilla's goalkeeper was rarely tested in any serious way.
Then came Angeliño's red card in the 59th minute, and whatever slim hope Deportivo had of finding an equalizer essentially vanished. Down to ten men, chasing a goal against a side that had no intention of opening up, the home side spent the final half-hour doing damage control rather than creating danger.
Sevilla Grind It Out
El mérito de Sevilla was less about brilliance than about staying compact and making Deportivo work for nothing. They finished with 11 shots and six on target, forcing five saves from the Deportivo keeper. The visitors were content to absorb pressure and hit on the counter, and it worked.
The bookings piled up late — Enrique Salas, Jon Guridi, Isaac Romero, and Juan Iglesias all picked up yellows for Sevilla in the final stretch, which tells you something about the mood on the pitch. Deportivo were pushing bodies forward and Sevilla were doing what it took to slow the game down. Lorenzo Amatucci added a yellow of his own in the 77th minute for the hosts, but none of it amounted to a real chance.
Our pre-match read called this one too close to split — 35% either way — and Sevilla were the ones who found a way to settle it.
For Deportivo, the form line heading in read LDWWD, and this loss slots in as another reminder that home advantage at Riazor doesn't guarantee much when your attack can only generate four shots. Losing Angeliño before the hour mark made a tough situation worse, but even at eleven versus eleven, Sevilla looked the more likely winner from the moment Sierra scored.
Sevilla, now on WWDLW, will feel this was exactly the kind of away performance that builds a season — not spectacular, not comfortable, but controlled. The question now is whether they can carry that same discipline into tougher tests ahead.
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