Sevilla plays with fire in Zagreb but does not burn

He did not convince and ended up suffering until the end, but Sevilla, king of the Europa League, is already in the round of 16 of the competition. He arrived in Zagreb to face Dinamo with the confidence that the two goal lead achieved at Pizjuán (3-1) gave him and at Maksimir he calculated too much with that result in mind. Football control and the situation in the comfort zone until a penalty by Acuña’s hand – he did not want to – forced the agony of Seville. Lopetegui’s pupils played with fire, even in inferiority in the last minutes after Delaney was sent off for a double yellow, but finally they avoided burning out.

At first, it seemed like a very offensive approach by Lopetegui, with Papu Gómez as inside and Ocampos, Rafa Mir and Tecatito Corona as offensive trident. He was warned by the Croatian champions’ comeback against Tottenham last season, when Mourinho’s team lost 2-0 in London at the Maksimir. Under cover of their noisy fans, Dinamo left the ball in their rival’s possession in the first few minutes, but went very vertical on the counterattack, circling the Sevilla area in search of Petkovic’s shooting talent.

Lopetegui was not very happy on the bench before the greater sensation of local danger. The Croatian team became even more animated as the game progressed and recovered in increasingly compromised positions for Sevilla. As a result of a robbery, a good opportunity was born for Misic, who drove with speed and tried the long shot, poisoned after hitting the Seville defense. It was necessary to control the match from the Sevilla midfield to stretch positions and at least threaten Dinamo.

With the game in a nondescript phase, the Andalusian team already controlled the situation more comfortably, managing their advantage. He generated danger through a deflected shot by Rafa Mir and although the powerful Diego Carlos played it, not avoiding the clash with Gojak in his own area, Sevilla reached the break better than his rival. Good news in terms of the result but a serious setback with the injury of Diego Carlos just before the break.

With Navas and Delaney for the Montiel and Diego Carlos hits, Sevilla returned to the pitch ready to score the goal that sealed the tie. Delaney could do it after a set piece but he hesitated between the pass and the shot and the opportunity vanished. Also Rafa Mir, who could not make Acuña’s pass from the left side good. Beyond the chances, Lopetegui’s team took command of the match through possession. With the ball in his possession, the situation seemed totally under control.

a fatality

Kopic must have seen it so badly that he even retired Petkovic, his reference striker, needing a couple of goals to level the tie. However, a fatality by Acuña, who was hit in the rebounding arm in the Seville area, complicated the matter. A strange penalty because the Argentine left back had no intention but a maximum penalty that Orsic transformed without a shadow of a doubt. Just one goal away from forcing extra time, Maksimir pushed harder than ever, dreaming of another comeback night in Europe.

In spite of everything, Sevilla remained calm, insisting on their proposal to put the game to sleep by handling the ball. It did not prevent Dinamo’s arreón from producing two good chances for Bockaj and Menalo, but he was also able to gain peace of mind in a header that Ocampos sent wide with everything in his favor and in a counter that Rafa Mir finished with a high shot. The pass to the round of 16 was in the air until the end, even more so with the double yellow to Delaney that forced him to resist with ten.