Sevilla 1-4 Borussia Dortmund
It was dubbed as Julen Lopetegui’s last game in charge of Sevilla and if anything, this game served as a demonstration that the relationship had gone on too long.
The first half was an open and fun game for the neutral, as neither side showed much regard from defending. It took Raphael Guerreiro just seven minutes to fire into the top corner and set Sevilla on the back foot.
Youssef En-Nesyri was nearly sent off after chasing back a three on zero break for Dortmund, but was spared by the fact that Salih Ozcan had handled the ball earlier in the move, before En-Nesyri brought him down. A reward for his excellent efforts.
Jude Bellingham, who assisted the first, was not in such a forgiving mood. The Englishman sliced through the defence on the left side and barely had to look before he finished with the outside of his right into the corner. A brilliant goal from the best player on the pitch.
Youssoufa Moukoko ran him close though. The young striker got in behind the Sevilla defence again just before half-time with an inspirational touch, even if he was denied by Yassine Bounou. Karim Adeyemi was on hand to finish into an empty net.
After half-time the game continued the same pattern of open defending, more from Sevilla than Dortmund, only at a lower rate of knots. En-Nesyri rose highest to head home an Alex Telles corner early in the second half, but it could not spark a reaction.
Any hope of that was extinguished with fifteen minutes to go. Moukoko, released on the left, found Julian Brandt unmarked in the middle of the box for Dortmund’s fourth.
A lacklustre and depressing defeat for Los Nervionenses. Worse, it was a poor send off for Lopetegui. He bid farewell to the fans after the match, emotional, as the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan applauded and sung his name. The end of an era at Sevilla, it should never have reached levels of such dereliction for the two parties to separate.
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