New defeat for Sevilla FC. Sergio Ramos’ partners lost at home this Thursday against Athletic Bilbao (0-2, 19th day of La Liga). The specter of relegation remains present.
Sevilla FC started 2024 as it ended 2023: with a defeat. On Thursday evening, Quique Sanchez Flores’ men knew that they would have a lot to do with the reception of Athletic Bilbao fifth in Liga before kick-off. And the scenario feared by local supporters took shape quite quickly and was confirmed since their protégés lost (0-2). While Bilbao took the opportunity to grab three places and climb onto the third step of the podium, the Sevillistas remain sixteenth, with a very small point ahead of the red zone.
If Sevilla dominated in terms of ball possession throughout the game (61%), the realism was therefore exclusively Basque. At the half-hour mark, Mikel Vesga opened the scoring in favor of the visitors. Ten minutes later, the Sevillians saw Nemanja Gudelj leave due to injury, replaced by Ivan Rakitic (41st). And despite a desire to pick up the score, the locals were surprised a second and final time at the start of the last quarter of an hour, with an achievement by Aitor Paredes (0-2, 76th).
Opposite trajectories
This is the ninth defeat in nineteen league matches for Sevilla FC who will have to fight until the end to stay in the elite of Spanish football. For Bilbao, the spiral is completely different and at this rate, the Basque club can hope to snag one of the four qualifying tickets for the next Champions League. But the road remains very long.
