Brazilian Leo the hero as Almeria sneak past Getafe, Sevilla see red in Sociedad defeat
Almeria - Getafe 1-0
Getafe’s sorry streak in Andalusia was extended at the Power Horse Stadium, as they fell 1-0 to newly-promoted Almeria, and saw their five-game unbeaten run in LaLiga snapped.
That run was under threat early on, as Almeria raced out of the blocks firing. And despite struggling to open up any high-quality scoring chances, they capitalised on their pressure from a corner just before the half-hour mark.
A training ground routine worked perfectly to free up Leo Baptistao, who headed home from close range to snatch the lead for the hosts at the break.
Almería nearly doubled their lead in the final 25 minutes, when Sergio Akieme was picked out from a free-kick, and his venomous strike appeared to be postmarked for the back of the net, but Djene Dakonam slid in to block the shot in dramatic fashion to keep Getafe’s chances of a point alive.
While they needed to find a goal to reclaim parity on the night, Getafe received a boost in the dying minutes, when Rodrigo Ely was sent off for his second yellow card, giving the visitors a small window to pour on the pressure.
However, Quique Sanchez Flores’s men saw their final chance go begging, as Enes Unal had the ball in the back of the net in the final moments, but his strike was ruled out for offside.
Despite Almería finding themselves only five points clear of the relegation zone, three wins from their last five games will be a huge boost to the LaLiga newcomers.
To compound their joy, this gutsy victory also means the Andalusian outfit have won four consecutive home games for the first time since 2009. Meanwhile, a tally of only three wins in Getafe’s first 15 league games this season keeps Los Azulones in the thick of the relegation picture.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Leo Baptistao (Almeria)
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Sevilla - Real Sociedad 1-2
Nine-man Sevilla went down 2-1 against Real Sociedad, leaving the hosts staring down the barrel of dropping into the relegation zone after their winless home league run this season extended to seven matches.
With this both Sevilla and Sociedad’s last fixture before LaLiga draws to a close for the FIFA World Cup break, this game carried a little extra importance as both clubs sought to bow out on a high.
It was Sociedad who drew first blood in their quest to do so though, with Mikel Merino’s delicate ball latched upon by Alexander Sorloth, who took one touch to steady himself and clipped a delightful effort over the head of Bono with his second.
As if Sevilla’s evening couldn’t get much worse, it soon did for the hosts, with Brais Méndez the tormentor-in-chief. Not one, but two Sevilla players were dismissed for hefty challenges on Méndez, with Ivan Rakitić first to be sent for an early bath, inexplicably followed by Tanguy Nianzou just six minutes later.
It was Mendez who had the last laugh before the break however, with Merino again the provider as he laid the ball on a plate for Méndez to double Sociedad’s advantage.
The nine men of Sevilla did incredibly halve the deficit before the break, when Rafa Mir rose highest to head home Alex Telles’ delivery.
The second half was far less eventful, but even with their two-man advantage, Sociedad weren’t finding it as straightforward as they might have hoped to wrap up the game. Takefusa Kubo came closest to adding a third for Sociedad, but perhaps incensed by already leaking two goals, an inspired Bono denied him.
Sevilla could boast an 11-match unbeaten run in LaLiga on Wednesday’s prior to tonight, but that record was at risk of going up into smoke unless they could conjure up something bordering on miraculous in the closing stages.
It was always implausible that Sevilla would draw level with just nine men, and so it proved, with defeat leaving them above the drop zone by virtue of goal difference alone, though that could change after Thursday night’s LaLiga fixtures.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad)
