A return to Spanish football after eleven years, and an immediate impact
On a Saturday afternoon in Vitoria, Sevilla FC claimed a hard-earned victory at Mendizorroza, a result shaped as much by patience and counterattacking intelligence as by individual brilliance. Alexis Sánchez, a Chilean forward who arrived at the club in the final hours of the transfer window, scored the decisive goal in the second half—his first in LaLiga in eleven years—offering a quiet reminder that football sometimes rewards those who wait. The win extends Sevilla's unbeaten run to three matches and places both clubs level on seven points, suspended in that mid-table space where the season's true character has yet to reveal itself.
- Alavés drew first blood in the tenth minute through Vargas, briefly seizing control of a match they had prepared to win at home.
- Sevilla's equalizer arrived not through invention but through misfortune—Marcao's clumsy foul inside the area handed Carlos Vicente the penalty he calmly converted.
- The first half belonged to Alavés in tempo and chances, yet Sevilla's willingness to absorb pressure kept the scoreline level and the door open.
- The second half shifted decisively: Sevilla sharpened, Alavés faded, and the spaces the home side had controlled began to close around them.
- Sánchez's winner was more than a goal—it was a statement of arrival, his first LaLiga strike in over a decade landing at exactly the moment his new club needed it most.
- Both teams sit level on seven points, but Sevilla carry momentum into a home fixture against Villarreal while Alavés must travel to face Getafe—two tests that will clarify whether either side is truly building or merely surviving.
Sevilla left Mendizorroza on Saturday with three points and a story worth telling. The match opened with Alavés in command—Vargas struck in the tenth minute to give the home side exactly the start they had sought. But the lead lasted only as long as it took Marcao to misjudge a clearance, catching Carlos Vicente from behind inside the area. Vicente stepped up and converted the penalty himself, restoring parity before the first half had found its footing.
Alavés pressed on through the opening forty-five minutes, generating the cleaner chances and controlling the tempo. Sevilla, managed by Almeyda, chose to absorb rather than impose—sitting deep, waiting for the breaks that come to teams willing to be patient. The half ended level, neither side having done enough to deserve more.
The second half told a different story. Sevilla emerged with sharper movement and greater urgency; Alavés, by contrast, began to tire and lose their grip on the match. It was in this shifting landscape that Alexis Sánchez made his mark. The Chilean, signed in the final hours of the transfer window, scored what proved to be the winner—his first LaLiga goal in eleven years, and an immediate vindication of the club's late decision to bring him in.
The result leaves both teams on seven points from five matches, comfortably mid-table and without crisis. For Sevilla, it is a third consecutive outing without defeat—a run that hints at a squad beginning to find its shape. Alavés travel to Getafe next week while Sevilla host Villarreal at the Sánchez-Pizjuán, two fixtures that will begin to answer whether either club is genuinely building toward something.
Sevilla left Mendizorroza with three points on Saturday, a result built on the late-match composure of Alexis Sánchez, the Chilean forward who arrived at the club in the final hours of the transfer window. The match itself was a study in momentum shifts—the kind of game where control passed between teams like a baton in a relay neither side fully trusted.
Alavés struck first. In the tenth minute, Vargas found the back of the net, and for a brief moment the home side had what they came for. But Sevilla's defense unraveled almost immediately. Marcao, attempting to clear the ball, instead caught Carlos Vicente from behind inside the penalty area. It was a foul so obvious that Vicente himself stepped forward to convert the spot kick, leveling the score before the first half had truly settled into its rhythm.
What followed was a first half in which Alavés pressed harder, generated more chances, and seemed to own the tempo. Yet Sevilla, under manager Almeyda, found their openings on the break—the kind of counterattacking opportunities that come to teams willing to absorb pressure and strike when the moment presents itself. The half ended level, both teams having shown enough to suggest neither would leave empty-handed.
The second half belonged to Sevilla. They came out with sharper movement, better positioning, and a visible hunger to take control. Alavés, by contrast, began to fade. The home side's grip on possession loosened as Sevilla's intensity increased, and clear-cut chances became scarce for the Basque club. It was in this context that Sánchez delivered the decisive moment. The goal itself was significant not just for the three points it secured, but for what it represented: a return to Spanish football's top division after eleven years away, and an immediate impact that justified the club's last-minute decision to bring him in.
With that goal, Sevilla moved to seven points from five matches, the same total as Alavés, both teams settling comfortably in the middle of the table. For Sevilla, it marked a third consecutive outing without defeat—a run that suggests the squad is finding its shape. The victory also came at a moment when both clubs can afford to breathe; neither is in crisis, neither is pulling away. Alavés will travel to Madrid next week to face Getafe, while Sevilla returns home to the Sánchez-Pizjuán to host Villarreal. Two matches that will tell us whether these teams are building something or simply treading water.
Notable Quotes
Alexis Sánchez, Sevilla's late signing, scored the decisive goal in the second half— Match report
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Sánchez's goal matter beyond the three points?
Because he hadn't scored in La Liga in eleven years. This wasn't just a goal—it was a statement that the signing worked, that the club's gamble on a late arrival paid off immediately.
The penalty seemed to shift the momentum early. Did Sevilla ever look like they'd lose?
Not really. Once they equalized, you could feel the match settling into a shape that favored them. Alavés had their moment, but Sevilla's structure on the break was always there.
Both teams ended with seven points. Does that feel like a fair outcome?
No. Sevilla was the better team in the second half, and Alavés couldn't generate anything meaningful once Sevilla took control. The points distribution reflects the final thirty minutes more than the whole match.
What does this win mean for Sevilla's season?
It's early, but three matches without a loss suggests they're building something. They're not spectacular, but they're efficient. That's often enough.
And for Alavés?
They're fine. Seven points is respectable. But they'll need to show they can maintain that intensity for ninety minutes, not just the first half.