Sevilla Complete Comeback Win Over Rayo with Two Second-Half Penalties

Sevilla’s Two Penalties Complete Comeback Against Rayo

Sevilla came from behind to defeat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, overturning an early deficit to take victory in the opening La Liga round. A. Garcia gave Rayo a fourth-minute lead, but second-half penalties from J. Guridi and Peque completed the home side’s comeback.

Sevilla Overturn Early Deficit

Rayo made the faster start and moved in front after only four minutes, with A. Garcia scoring a normal goal to put the visitors 1-0 ahead. Sevilla were unable to find an equaliser before half-time, leaving Rayo with the advantage at the interval despite the match remaining closely balanced.

Sevilla responded more forcefully after the restart and gradually turned their greater attacking volume into a result. The home side finished with 13 shots compared with Rayo’s six, while both teams had three attempts on target, showing that Sevilla created more opportunities without completely dominating the contest.

Second-Half Penalties Decide Match

The turning point arrived in the 52nd minute when J. Guridi converted a penalty to bring Sevilla level. His equaliser came seven minutes into the second half and changed the direction of a match that Rayo had controlled on the scoreboard since the opening minutes.

The decisive goal also came from the penalty spot, with Peque scoring in the 90th minute to make it 2-1. Sevilla therefore secured the win through two second-half penalties, while Rayo’s early advantage disappeared despite the visitors retaining a slight possession edge.

Statistics Reveal Sevilla’s Attacking Edge

Rayo Vallecano held 51% possession and completed 337 passes to Sevilla’s 317, with both teams recording 73% passing accuracy. The visitors also had two corners to Sevilla’s one, but those territorial figures did not translate into a higher shot count or a better scoreline.

Sevilla’s attacking profile was stronger in several key areas: nine of their 13 shots came from inside the box, compared with five of Rayo’s six attempts. Their expected-goals figure was 2.30 against Rayo’s 2.00, supporting the view that the home side created the clearer overall threat. Odysseas Vlachodimos was the joint highest-rated player at 7.2 after making two saves for Sevilla.

Late Red Card and League Context

Discipline became an important feature late in the match. K. Salas was sent off for Sevilla in the 88th minute, meaning the hosts had to protect their lead with 10 players during the closing stages, while the match statistics recorded three yellow cards for each side.

The result gives Sevilla a winning start, while Rayo Vallecano begin with a defeat. The supplied opening-round standings listed Sevilla 13th and Rayo eighth, with both teams still shown on zero points from zero games, so the displayed table had not yet incorporated the completed fixture.