There were two fixtures one after the other in Spain on Friday, and both of them proved to be dramatic. Whilst Real Valladolid, who kick-started their campaign with a draw against Barcelona, pulled off another good point against Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano managed to register a stunning 2-0 win against the Catalan side Espanyol. The games saw two red cards each, which may have downed the discipline quotient, but not the entertainment one.
Sevilla locked horns against Real Valladolid in the late kick-off fixture, which remained dry and lacklustre until the final 10 minutes. The hosts had plenty of ball throughout the game but were struggling to hit the target. Isco, who made a summer move from Real Madrid, was called up for his debut in the second half alongside former Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic.
The real action began in the final 10 minutes of the game. The first of the two goals scored in the game came surprisingly from the visitors. Anuar’s brilliant little solo play helped him squeeze a goal past Yassine Bono. But a goal-keeping howler from Sergio Asenjo gave Sevilla their equaliser.
Some heated exchanges on the bench between Jawad El Yamiq and Marcos Acuna prompted the on-field referee to give those two a straight red. Sevilla pushed until the final minute of injury time, which lasted over nine minutes. Both sides shook hands and shared points at full time, but the hosts will be hard done by just collecting one point in two games.
At the RDCE stadium, visitors Vallecano were off to a disastrous start, with Florian Lejeune picking up two yellow cards in quick succession. The experienced centre-back’s early departure gave the hosts some momentum for a while, but it didn’t last too long. But soon after, in a rather silly turn of events, Sergi Gomez was spotted elbowing Sergio Camello in VAR review, and they too were down to 10 men.
The game tilted a bit more towards Vallecano after personnel balance was restored. They made the most of a set-piece situation just before the first half ended, and Isi Palazon put the side in front with a stunning strike from 35 yards. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Alvaro Garcia did extremely well on the left side to set up a tap-in for Pathe Ciss, which sealed the three points for the club.
