Sevilla return to winning ways as Fofana inspires 2-0 win over Osasuna

Sevilla end winless run with 2-0 win over Osasuna

Sevilla beat Osasuna 2-0 at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Monday night to close LaLiga Matchday 10, with Youssouf Fofana setting up both goals and Isaac Romero and Félix Correia scoring one each. The victory ended Sevilla's three-game winless run in the league and lifted Luis García Plaza's side back into sixth place, while Osasuna stayed 12th and were left still searching for consistency on the road.

Monday's game kicked off at 20:00 UTC, which was midnight on Tuesday in Tbilisi, and it was the last fixture of the round. Sevilla had arrived at the match after a 3-3 draw at Levante and defeats by Barcelona and Real Madrid, a sequence that had stalled a promising start to the season. Osasuna, by contrast, arrived with fresh confidence under returning head coach Jagoba Arrasate, whose second spell had begun with a 2-0 home win over Racing Santander. On this evidence, however, the Sánchez-Pizjuán remains a difficult place for the visitors: Osasuna have now won just once in their last 18 visits to the stadium, drawing three and losing 14.

A frantic start before Romero strikes

The visitors should have taken the lead inside four minutes. Flavien Boyomo was left unmarked from a corner and headed off target, a let-off for the home side that set the tone for a frantic opening. Sevilla's Félix Correia was equally wasteful three minutes later, skewing a volley wide from inside the box, before Osasuna striker Ante Budimir spurned a similar chance at the other end.

Both teams had lacked a finishing touch until the hosts produced a move of real quality in the 24th minute. Correia fed the ball to Fofana, whose clever flick sent Isaac Romero through, and the striker arrowed his finish beyond goalkeeper Aitor Fernández. It was Romero's third goal of the season, and it moved him to the top of Sevilla's scoring charts. The goal also settled the home side, who took control for the rest of the first half. Andrés Castrín blazed over the bar from 12 yards and Chidera Ejuke drew a sprawling low save from Fernández as Sevilla pushed for a second before the break. At half-time, the score was 1-0, and the game felt firmly in the hosts' hands.

The second half began in scrappy fashion, with fouls breaking up play and the home support growing frustrated as Sevilla lost some of their first-half momentum. Osasuna could not turn that spell into a clear chance, though, and the hosts began to threaten again midway through the half. Fernández pushed a long-range Fofana free-kick behind for a corner, and Juan Iglesias volleyed against the post moments later, a warning that Sevilla were ready to finish the game.

Correia settles it late

The decisive moment came eight minutes from time. Sevilla broke on the counter, Fofana led the move again, and Correia applied the finish with a deflected shot that made the points safe. It was Correia's second goal of the season, and his first since scoring in the 3-3 draw at Levante. Fernández had earlier made a brilliant save to keep out a Kike Salas header as full-time approached, but there was no way back for Osasuna once the second goal went in. Correia was replaced by José Ángel Carmona in the 86th minute, with the job done.

Fofana was named man of the match, and it was easy to see why. The midfielder, on loan at Sevilla, was involved in everything that mattered: the flick that created the opener and the driving run that started the counter for the second. Sevilla's supporting cast also played their part, with Ejuke and Castrín testing Fernández and the defence holding firm for a clean sheet. Osasuna, for all their early promise, faded after the break and never found a sustained response once Sevilla scored first, a familiar pattern for a side that have opened the scoring in just three of their last 13 matches.

What the result means

The table now reflects a good night's work for Sevilla. Sixth place, with 17 points from 10 matches after five wins, two draws and three defeats, puts them two points behind fifth-placed Real Sociedad and back in the European places. That is a much healthier picture than the 14 points they held before kick-off, and it rewards a squad whose goals have been shared around: Sevilla's 16 league goals this season have come from a wide spread of scorers, with Romero now leading the way on three.

For Osasuna, the defeat leaves them 12th on 11 points from 10 matches, with three wins, two draws and five defeats, six points behind Sevilla. The wider away record is a concern for Arrasate: Osasuna have now won just one of their last 12 away league games, drawing two and losing nine. Their next task is to turn promising starts on the road into points, because in Seville they had the first chance of the night and still left with nothing.

The numbers underline Sevilla's control once they went ahead. The hosts had 17 shots to Osasuna's 10, with seven on target to the visitors' two, and won seven corners to four, even though Osasuna edged possession. In front of 38,523 supporters, with Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias as referee, Sevilla produced exactly the kind of efficient home performance that had been missing during their winless run. If Fofana keeps producing moments like these, the top six may prove to be a realistic home for them rather than a brief visit.