Barca draw offers hope for Sevilla
Print Edition
SEVILLA is regarded as one of the weaker teams left in the UEFA Champions League but its pulsating 2-2 draw with Barcelona on Saturday fired a warning shot to quarterfinal opponent Bayern Munich as well as serving as a reminder of its own frailties.
The Andalusians were on the verge of becoming the first team to beat Barcelona in La Liga and the UCL this season until strikes from Luis Suarez and substitute Lionel Messi in the space of a minute rescued Ernesto Valverde’s side.
Sevilla’s forward line of Joaquin Correa, Jesus Navas, Franco Vazquez and Colombian center forward Luis Muriel caused endless problems for the runaway Liga leader on the counterattack.
Vazquez opened the scoring from a cutback from Correa in the first half while Muriel buried a rebound early in the second period and both players missed clear chances to finish off Barca, while Navas had a goal-bound shot blocked by Gerard Pique.
Sevilla was left cursing its profligacy and lapses in concentration when Suarez pulled a goal back in the 88th minute following a corner and Messi found space on the edge of the area to level in the 89th.
Sevilla coach Vincenzo Montella praised his team for its entertaining display while admitting his frustration at not winning the game, which would have given it a huge injection of confidence before hosting Bayern tomorrow.
“Tonight I will sleep very badly,” said the Italian coach, whose side beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford last month in the shock result of the last-16 to reach the quarterfinals of the UCL for the first time in its history.
“I’m proud of the team and the spirit they showed but we have to improve and make sure we score when we have the chance.”
Sevilla has had a disappointing domestic campaign and is sixth in La Liga.
Before facing Barca it had lost six of its 12 league games since Montella replaced sacked coach Eduardo Berizzo but, just as it had done against United and Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey, Sevilla raised its game against a high-profile opponent.
Montella encouraged his side to play with the same swagger against five-time European champion Bayern, which walloped rival Borussia Dortmund 6-0 on Saturday to move within one win of retaining the German title.
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