Julen Lopetegui could not have had a more painful farewell from his time on the Sevilla bench, after three seasons (three times ranked 4th in the League and one Europa League) and 10 sorrowful games in this deplorable start to the season. Dortmund put the finishing touch on him with a devastating 1-4, which ended up giving the club reasons to dismiss the coach and leaves the Andalusians on the verge of elimination from the Champions League.
"Surely tomorrow (Thursday) I will not be coach of Sevilla", confirmed Lopetegui on the channel
It was the chronicle of a death foretold. Lopetegui faced the duel against Dortmund knowing that he had the guillotine ready, whether they won or not. An embarrassing situation for everyone: In what spirit can a coach prepare and lead a team that he will no longer coach? And how do players who no longer have that boss behave? In this unusual case, with an ending already written, everyone appeals to professionalism; an element that was insufficient for Sevilla to stop Dortmund.
Lopetegui (56) had the sentence of dismissal before the Champions League match: a win in 9 games (the 2-3 win at Cornellà), 17th position in the League, just one point above relegation, and 1 of 6 in Europe left him on the tightrope already on Saturday, after losing 0-2 with Atlético. “I am sure that we are going to turn the situation around”, launched the Basque, more as a topic than as a harangue to some players who already knew that the next day – today – the new coach, Jorge Sampaoli, would return to the Pizjuán five years after leaving for Argentina.
Without Fernando, Rekik or Marcao, injured, nor those not registered in the Champions League Óliver Torres and Tecatito Corona, Lopetegui's last Sevilla appeared before a crowd as spirited as usual, devoted to the team in search of a revitalizing victory. However, the Sevilla fanfare cooled off with Guerreiro's early goal, which silenced the coliseum with a claw blow after 6 minutes. The winger struck down Bono with a powerful cross shot on the run, after receiving a pass from the right wing by Bellingham, who made a fabulous change of direction that Navas ate.
From 0-1 it was possible to go to 1-1 and ended up being 0-2. Sevilla enjoyed a very clear double chance in a header from En-Nesyri that Meyer saved and a subsequent high shot from Carmona. The Andalusian team forgave and four minutes later the 0-2 fell, a magnificent goal by Bellingham in the definition with the toe and how he faced and left Gudelj dry.
Dortmund's final shot only took three minutes, with a brilliant move by the kid Moukoko, only 17 years old, with a hat-oriented control over Gudelj, a shot and a rebound from Bono that Adeyemi (20 years old) converted at 0-3.
Immediately, Pizjuán turned against the box shouting "Directive, resignation" and "Lopetegui, Lopetegui", blaming president José Castro for the drift of the team and sympathizing with the Basque coach.
En-Nesyri's goal (1-3) at the beginning of the second half (m.51) saved the board from permanent anger, although Brandt's 1-4 (75m.) reopened the wound and the shouts returned against the box Pizjuán fired Lopetegui with a standing ovation, who left crying, and whistled at the board
Seville: Bono, Jesus Navas (Montiel 46), Carmona, Kike Salas, Alex Telles, Jordan (Dolberg 77), Gudelj, Rakitic (Delaney 61), Isco (Papu Gomez 61), En-Nesyri, Suso (Lamela 46).
Dortmund: Meyer, Meunier, Süle, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro (Rothe 80), Adeyemi (Malen 64), Bellingham, Brandt (Thorgan Hazard 86), Emre Can, Özcan (Papadopoulos 86) and Moukoko (Modeste 80).
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy). Yellow to Gudelj, Lamela and Kike Salas, from Sevilla, and Özcan from Dortmund.
Quaffle: 0-1 Warrior (6); 0-2 Bellingham (40); 0-3 Adeyemi (43); 1-3 En-Nesyri (51); 1-4 Brandt (75).
Field: Sánchez Pizjuán, 34,598 spectators.
