Sevilla’s fight for survival in LaLiga was given a massive lift after a dramatic late comeback secured a 2-1 victory over Espanyol at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, with Super Eagles striker Akor Adams emerging as the match winner in the closing moments.
The home side had entered the game under enormous pressure, having managed just one previous league win from 19 matches in which they conceded first this season. However, resilience was eventually shown as Sevilla produced a stunning turnaround to claim a crucial three points in front of their supporters.
The atmosphere around the stadium had already become tense even before kick off, with the game delayed for 10 minutes due to a pre match VAR malfunction. Once play eventually got underway, a cagey and nervy contest was witnessed in the opening stages.
Espanyol created the better opportunities during the first half and almost went ahead in the 25th minute when Edu Exposito found space inside the penalty area. His powerful effort looked destined for the corner before Odysseas Vlachodimos produced an excellent diving save to push the ball away.
Sevilla struggled to create clear openings before the break, although changes from the bench were later introduced in an attempt to change the flow of the contest. Alexis Sanchez, who had impressed in Sevilla’s previous victory over Real Sociedad, was brought on at half time and his arrival immediately lifted the home side.
Moments after the restart, Sevilla thought they had finally broken the deadlock. A series of passes and blocked attempts inside the Espanyol area eventually saw Jose Angel Carmona’s strike fall kindly to Ruben Vargas, whose effort deflected perfectly for Sanchez to tap home from close range. Celebrations were quickly cut short though after the Chilean veteran was ruled offside.
That disappointment was made even worse in the 56th minute when Espanyol struck first. Tyrhys Dolan, who had started to influence the game more in the second half, played a key role in the move. Roberto Fernandez managed to cut the ball back into the area just before it rolled out of play, while Andres Castrin completely misjudged the flight of the return pass. Dolan reacted quickly, brought the ball under control and calmly fired a low finish into the bottom left corner.
Sevilla were then forced to chase the game and attacking substitutions were immediately introduced from the bench. Castrin almost made amends for his earlier error but headed over from a deep Sanchez delivery.
The pressure from Sevilla eventually paid off in the 82nd minute. Castrin surged forward from deep on the right flank, drove into the penalty area and squeezed a low effort underneath goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic, who was expected to keep the shot out.
That equaliser completely shifted the momentum of the game as Sevilla pushed desperately for a winner against a tiring Espanyol side. With seven minutes of stoppage time added, the decisive moment finally arrived through Akor Adams.
The Nigerian striker had only been introduced as a substitute for Ruben Vargas and spent just 15 minutes on the pitch. However, his impact proved decisive. After capitalising on space against the exhausted Espanyol defence, Akor unleashed a ferocious curling strike from distance that flew beautifully into the bottom right corner, sending the stadium into wild celebrations.
No response could be produced by Espanyol in the closing moments as Sevilla held on for a priceless victory that moved them up to 12th place in the table with a three point cushion above the relegation zone ahead of a difficult run of fixtures.
For Espanyol, the defeat represented a painful collapse that could leave them hovering dangerously close to the bottom four by next weekend as the relegation battle continues to intensify.
Akor Adams winning goal was not only his ninth league goal of the season, but arguably one of the most important strikes of his career so far. Despite registering only nine touches and completing four of his eight passes, the Nigerian forward delivered when Sevilla needed him most.“side”
