Sevilla climbed into LaLiga’s top three after Juan Iglesias’ late header secured a 1-0 victory over Valencia at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
The result gave Sevilla their first win against Valencia in seven meetings, having drawn three and lost three of the previous six. Valencia, meanwhile, remain without a victory after five league matches and stay rooted to the bottom of the table.
There was little to separate the sides during a poor first half. Sevilla had a reasonable penalty appeal turned down in the 10th minute when Juan Iglesias appeared to be brought down, but neither team managed a shot on target before the interval.
Valencia’s difficult afternoon was compounded by an injury to Cesar Tarrega, who was forced off with a hamstring problem. A congested midfield then contributed to a scrappy contest in which both sides struggled to create openings.
Only five attempts were recorded before half-time. Isaac Romero came closest to finding the target, but his wild volley flew over the crossbar. Felix Correia completed only 35.4% of his passes for the hosts, although his teammates also failed to find a way through a determined Valencia defence.
Sevilla made a much brighter start to the second half. Five minutes after the restart, Kike Salas produced a superb downward header which appeared destined for the corner, only for Stole Dimitrievski to palm it wide.
The resulting corner brought another close call. Lucas Stassin met the delivery with a header that struck the foot of the post as Sevilla continued to threaten.
With the home side increasingly in control after the hour mark, Youssouf Fofana tested Dimitrievski with a low right-footed strike. The Valencia goalkeeper held the effort well, but the game soon returned to its earlier pattern, with chances again at a premium.
Valencia nearly snatched the lead late on when David Otorbi’s powerful shot struck the woodwork. Sevilla finally broke the deadlock when Iglesias met a free-kick with a looping header that found the net.
The victory was only Sevilla’s third clean sheet in 26 matches this year. It moved them up to third place, at least until the remainder of the weekend’s fixtures have been played.
The defeat was Carlos Corberan’s first against Sevilla since he took charge of Valencia. His record in the fixture before this match was two wins and three draws, while the latest loss adds to the club’s current difficulties.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Andres Castrin (Sevilla)