Sevilla come back against Rayo with ten men and a Peque penalty in stoppage time

Sevilla FC

Rayo Vallecano

The league opener pitted two teams with plenty of new faces against each other at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. Luis García Plaza opted for fresh arrivals such as Juan Iglesias, Sangante and Guridi, while also giving a role to young players like Nico Guillén and Miguel Sierra. On the other side, Rayo led by Beñat San José kept much of its core and found a way very early on to unsettle Sevilla's build-up.

First half

The match barely had started when Sevilla ran into trouble. Rayo's pressing paid off in the 4th minute: Sangante made a serious mistake in the area at the front and Álvaro García was quick to recover and finish with the goal practically at his disposal. 0-1 turned the start of the season into a test of nerves for the home side.

Rayo understood those opening minutes better. They pressed high, attacked the errors of an insecure back line and created chances to extend the gap. Nteka missed a very clear opportunity and later Isi Palazón found the net for 0-2, although the goal was ruled out for a prior foul on Juan Iglesias. Sevilla were walking a tightrope and Vlachodimos also couldn't find much peace in the way they circulated the ball from the back.

As the minutes went by, Luis García Plaza's side managed to push up. Before the break came one of the most hotly debated moments of the game: De Burgos Bengoetxea initially pointed to the penalty for an incident between Batalla and Isaac Romero, but he went to the monitor after the VAR call and ended up correcting himself. Rayo went into the dressing room ahead, although they hadn't made the most of all the chances they had to open up a bigger gap.

Second half

Luis García Plaza made an immediate change. Peque and Robbie Ure came on after the break for Nico Guillén and Isaac Romero and Sevilla appeared with a different kind of energy. The team pushed their press higher, started to position themselves closer to Batalla's area and quickly found the equaliser.

A moment inside the box ended in a penalty for Sevilla and Jon Guridi took responsibility in the 52nd minute. The midfielder didn't miss from the spot and made it 1-1, also marking his debut as a Sevilla goalscorer. The goal changed the feel of the match: Sevilla gained confidence and for many minutes forced Rayo to defend much closer to their own goal.

Robbie Ure brought presence and mobility up top and had a chance to complete the comeback. Rayo, after a spell in which they lost the control they had shown before the break, threatened again in the final stretch. Lejeune tested Vlachodimos from very far out and the goalkeeper responded by deflecting a powerful shot, while Alemão also found the Greek keeper again on another away arrival.

The game looked set to end uncomfortably for Sevilla when Kike Salas saw a straight red in the 87th minute for a challenge on Jorge de Frutos. With ten men and having used a large part of their substitutions, the Nervionense side had to protect the draw. However, exactly the opposite happened.

In stoppage time, Robbie Ure burst into the area and was brought down by Lejeune. This time the penalty stood and Peque, who had started the match on the bench, took the ball to convert the decisive spot-kick. He deceived Batalla and turned the 2-1 into the 90+6. Sevilla still had to withstand Rayo's final attempts while down to ten men before securing their first three points of the campaign.

Top performers Comunio / Sofascore

7

Vlachodimos
2.310.000€+260.000€    -

J1

PT

00

For Sevilla, the best Sofascore mark went to Vlachodimos, who finished with 7 Comunio points and a 7.3. His performance grew in importance in the second half, especially with his intervention against Lejeune's long-range shot. Guridi also reached 7 Comunio points, with a 6.7 on Sofascore, and he added the extra value of taking and converting the equalising penalty. For fantasy managers, a productive start from the new arrival despite leaving the pitch in the 82nd minute.

Among the Sevilla players, Peque also deserves attention: he came on after the break and added 7 Comunio points and a 6.8 on Sofascore, capping his appearance with the winning penalty. Miguel Sierra likewise left good impressions with 6 points and a 7.1. On the other side, Kike Salas appears, who ended with 0 Comunio points despite his 6.8 on Sofascore; his straight red in the final stretch clearly affected his fantasy tally.

9

Álvaro García
4.340.000€+220.000€    -

J1

MD

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For Rayo Vallecano, the standout name was Álvaro García. His 9 Comunio points made him the highest-scoring player in the match, alongside a 6.9 on Sofascore. The winger took advantage of Sevilla's mistake to open the scoring and once again showed the damage he can cause by attacking spaces. Unai López, with 5 Comunio points and a 7.0, maintained an interesting rating in midfield, while Alemão also reached 5 points and a 7.0 after coming on from the bench.

There were no players with negative Comunio scores, although there were some particularly low ones. Besides Kike Salas's zero, Ratiu finished the match with 0 points and a 5.9 on Sofascore. The fantasy snapshot of the round leaves, above all, Álvaro García, Vlachodimos, Guridi and Peque as the most profitable names from a game decided in the final moments.

Technical sheet

Result: Sevilla FC 2-1 Rayo Vallecano.

Goals: 0-1, Álvaro García (4'); 1-1, Jon Guridi, from the penalty spot (52'); 2-1, Peque, from the penalty spot (90+6').

Stadium: Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.

Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea. VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande.

Sevilla FC: Vlachodimos; Juan Iglesias, Sangante, Kike Salas, Gabriel Suazo; Agoumé, Guridi; Oso, Nico Guillén, Miguel Sierra; Isaac Romero. Also played: Peque, Robbie Ure, Rubén Vargas, Ejuke and Manu Bueno.

Rayo Vallecano: Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Pathé Ciss, Balliu; Óscar Valentín, Unai López; Jorge de Frutos, Isi Palazón, Álvaro García; Randy Nteka. Also took part: Sergio Camello, Alemão, Fran Pérez, Pelayo Fernández and Pedro Díaz.

Sending off: Kike Salas, straight red in the 87th minute.