Sevilla bid farewell to relegation fears with win over RCD Mallorca

Sevilla 2-0 RCD Mallorca

The two sides started with just three points between them, and both knew they would be taking a big step towards safety with a win. In a contested match, Sevilla carried a little extra threat in which Mallorca will feel unfortunate not to have taken the lead.

The first half saw both teams look to attack the space in behind the opposition, and Sevilla came closest through a Nemanja Gudelj header, forcing a good Predrag Rajkovic save. Isaac Romero would be thwarted by Rajkovic on the break too, as he couldn’t find a way past the Serbian coming in from the angle of the box in a one-on-one.

It was Sergio Ramos that kept things level at the other end though, as Mallorca opened up Sevilla, leaving Vedat Muriqi in front of goal on the right side of the box too. His shot was destined for the bottom corner before superman Ramos scrambled it to safety.

¡Salvador @SergioRamos bajo palos! #SevillaFCRCDMallorca #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/MwdLG5efHH

— Sevilla Fútbol Club (@SevillaFC) April 22, 2024

In the second half, Suso provided real quality with a cross for Youssef En-Nesyri to break the deadlock, converting with the header. At that point, Mallorca had to be more ambitious, and Sevilla had more space to work with. It would be a one-two between Isaac and En-Nesyri that split the Mallorca defence open 15 minutes after the Moroccan scored to make the game safe. The academy product’s shot took a deflection to beat Rajkovic, but it meant no less to Sevilla. Gudelj went off with an apparent knock before the end, and Dodi Lukebakio had a late header saved again by the excellent Rajkovic.

It looked as if that was the end of it, but with 30 seconds remaining, Abdon Prats headed home a Sergi Darder set piece, with barely any time for a grandstand finish. Sevilla head 12 points clear of the drop, and within three points of Getafe in 10th, which is significant as Quique Sanchez Flores knows he gets a one-year extension for finishing in the top half. It ends their fears of relegation in all effect, which was not a given for a long period of this season.

Mallorca still have a six-point cushion to Cadiz, but will be desperate not to take matters into the final weekends, with Celta having caught them on 31 points.

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