Late spot kick for Sevilla sinks Athletic Bilbao
Intent on maintaining their late charge for the LaLiga European places, Bilbao bombarded visiting Sevilla from the outset and the Lions thought they took an early lead when Nico Williams finished a flowing move, but the effort was ruled out by VAR for offside.
Déjà vu struck later in the half as Bilbao continued to threaten and Gorka Guruzeta headed in from Nico Williams’ cross, only for the goal to be ruled out yet again for a marginal offside.
Sevilla showed the weariness of a side playing their fourth match in 11 days and Los Nervionenses struggled to generate any rhythm to break down a resilient Bilbao defence and the visitors went without a first half goal for a sixth consecutive away match.
Remarkably, Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men only attempted two shots in the first half, neither of which were on target in a weary display from the visitors.
Bilbao’s quest for a fourth consecutive LaLiga win continued in a similar fashion at the beginning of the second period, but Sevilla dug deep and held off the Lions’ onslaught.
They remained patient and nearly stunned Bilbao when Bryan Gil seized on a loose pass, raced towards goal and his powerful shot was blocked at the vital moment by Daniel Vivian.
Nico Williams continued to pose a threat for Bilbao and he nearly struck for a second consecutive match with a 25-yard lob that dipped inched over the crossbar.
As the game limped towards a goalless draw, a lapse in concentration in the final minute saw Yeray Álvarez trip Ocampos in the area for a penalty.
Ocampos stepped up to take the spot-kick he won, held his nerve and sent Unai Simon the wrong way and curled into the bottom corner to seal the points for Sevilla.
Bilbao will feel hard done by as the hosts dominated for large spells, but their failure to find a breakthrough means their wait for back-to-back home victories in 2023 continues.
Despite being second best during the first half, Sevilla regrouped and produced at the vital moment to secure a fourth consecutive win in all competitions.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lucas Ocampos (Sevilla)
