Friday, May 18th, 2012
Getafe staged an incredible 2nd half turnaround as under-fire coach Michel gained some much-needed breathing space with this 1-3 victory over Sevilla. The Andalucian side have now suffered back-to-back home defeats, and it’s another blow to their Champions League placing aspirations.
A dull first half saw little in the way of goal mouth action, as the game was keenly contested in midfield and got dragged down by a slow pace.
The first chance of the game happened to fall for the visitors, as a lapse in concentration at the back from the hosts let Man Del Moral in who rounded the keeper but found the angle to score from a little to acute.
Sevilla overall probably had the better of it though, as they passed the ball well and looked on several occasions closer to the breakthrough. Fredi Kanoute and Kofi Romaric going closest as they saw various efforts blocked.
Kanoute, restored to his striking role after featuring a proportion of the season in midfield, was soon to break the deadlock. Some neat play on the wing saw Alfaro cross the ball which found the Malian striker – who slammed a right footed effort into the net.
Getafe were guilty of some shocking defending, as everyone seemed to stop in the box and that allowed Kanoute to react first.
That was just before half-time, as the remaining 5 minutes petered out without incident.
The 2nd half was to be a completely different proposition though, as there was a flurry of goals to come. It began with the home side showing plenty of intent to get the 2nd, obviously with the sound of Gregorio Manzano’s words ringing in their ears. The visitors stood tall though, as the centre-back pairing of Iván Marcano and Daniel ‘Cata’ Díaz put in some timely interceptions, while Derek Boateng also got himself into the game breaking up attacks – and starting some.
Getafe were soon to come into the game though, with the home side having narrow escapes as Miku and Del Moral went close with the former hitting the bar, both were simple warning shots however as Sevilla’s defence was under serious pressure.
Michel’s side finally got the reward for their positive play when they were awarded a penalty, after Abdoulay Konko clearly handled in the area. Manu was the man to step up, and he despatched the penalty which just went under Andres Palop.
The home side tried to gather themselves and apply some pressure of their own, but they got caught on the counter attack as they were stunned to now find themselves behind in the game just 3 minutes later. Jamie Gavilán drove down the wing and into the box, before seeing his attempted delivery blocked, but on the 2nd attempt he delivered a nice ball to Miku who plucked the ball out of the air and finished well.
Diego Capel was guilty on a number of occasions of wasteful play out wide, as needlessly ran into blind alleys and seemed reluctant to get his head up and pick a pass – when he did, th quality was lacking.
Manzano was furious on the sidelines, in response to conceding once more he further pushed his midfielders on which left more gaps at the back – and his side was soon punished by an outstanding goal. Pedro Ríos struck the ball ever so sweet as it was dropping, and it landed high in the middle of the net. Ríos’ performance had stood out in the 2nd, and he deserved a goal for his direct play in which he created several decent opportunities for Manu and Miku.
The home side resorted to lumping long balls forward and in itself a defeat, to the style of play their supporters have seen over the years. There was to be no end product however, and Getafe had come with a huge win and one which will take an enormous amount of pressure off the under-fire coach.
FT: Sevilla 1 (Kanouté 30) – Getafe 3 (Manu PEN 57, Miku 59, Pedro Ríos 77)
Tags: Fabiano, Getafe, Negredo, Pedrio Rios, Sevilla
