Sevilla vs. Celta Vigo: 2016 Copa del Rey Semi-Final, Leg 1 Score and Reaction
Sevilla secured what is likely to be a decisive advantage in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday, as they thumped Celta Vigo 4-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
Adil Rami put the hosts ahead with a fine header on the stroke of half-time, before two wonderful Kevin Gameiro goals in the space of three minutes forged the hosts' commanding position; Michael Krohn-Dehli notched the last of the goals with just three minutes of normal time remaining.
Earlier, Gameiro had a first-half penalty saved by Ruben Blanco, although his masterclass in finishing after the break more than made up for that error.
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On home soil, there was an expectation on Sevilla to come out and put their opponents under pressure in front of a raucous support, and they did exactly that in what was a frantic first half.
Although Celta were always a threat on the counter-attack, the Andalusians dominated the majority of the opening period, with Ever Banega and Steven N’Zonzi dictating the tempo of the contest superbly. Their good work eventually yielded a tremendous goalscoring chance, too, as they won a penalty in the 27th minute after a foul from Sergi Gomez.
It was Gameiro who stepped up looking assured. The forward is usually so calm in these situations, but between the sticks for Celta, Blanco pulled off an exceptional save.
Sevilla very nearly paid immediately for their profligacy, as Celta centre-back Gomez hit the bar from a set-piece. However, with the first half coming to an end, the hosts finally got the goal their dominance warranted.
It wasn’t the prettiest of finishes, but the gathered support did not care as Rami thumped home a header from Banega’s in-swinging corner. Blanco, who had been excellent throughout the first period, could do little to stop his powerful effort as he plunged low to his right-hand side.
As we can see here courtesy of OptaJose, Rami’s goal was the latest indication of this Sevilla side’s prowess when it comes to aerial battles:
The goal came seconds before the half-time whistle, giving the Rojiblancos a critical advantage and a massive dose of momentum.
There were a couple of flashes from Celta early in the second period, with Gustavo Cabral failing to connect well when given time to shoot in the penalty area. But soon Sevilla settled back into the groove, and between 59 and 62 minutes, two moments of brilliance from Gameiro took the match, and possibly the tie, away from the Galicians.
The first saw the forward sashay away from a pressuring defenders nearby and, without even having to steady himself, he lofted a brilliant curling shot into the corner past the onrushing Blanco.
Before the visitors even had time to recover, they were facing a three-goal deficit. Again, the Frenchman proved too elusive for the Celta defence, as he wriggled free of his markers before hammering a high shot into the goal.
The Sanchez Pizjuan was rocking at this point, and in front of his own fans, as WhoScored.com note here, Gameiro has been extremely prolific:
The spell seemed to stun Celta, who temporarily went into survival mode, seeking to stave off any chances of being blasted out of the tie completely. It allowed Sevilla to control the ball again and for Unai Emery to freshen things up from the bench.
Curiously, these two will meet again this weekend, this time at Celta, and it is game that seemed to be on the mind of all the players, with the match petering out before a backdrop of delighted Sevilla fans.
However, the hosts sprung into life again in the final stages, with Krohn-Dehli netting against his former club; he was the only man in the stadium who decided not to celebrate the goal, as Sevilla rounded off an outstanding performance in style.
A potential final with Barcelona looms now for Sevilla, as the Blaugrana thrashed Valencia 7-0 in the other semi-final first leg on Wednesday. The former won a thrilling UEFA Super Cup final 5-4 earlier in the season between these two; Barcelona statistician adil was already looking ahead to the prospect of another classic:
Granted, there is still a job for Emery’s side to do at Balaidos, as Celta have some dangerous players on their books; Sevilla's away record is far from strong either, having failed to win a single away game in La Liga in 2015-16. But this manager and this group of players have proved themselves to be so adept when it comes to cup football.
Celta will be disappointed by their defensive capitulation in the second period and badly missed the influence of their stricken talisman Nolito. They’ll come flying out of the traps in the second leg, and as was evident by their 4-1 win over Barcelona earlier in the campaign, they are capable of beating any side in the country heavily on any given day. It’ll take a miraculous showing to turn this one around, though.
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