Sevilla climbed the LaLiga standings to ninth place after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Girona at the Montilivi Stadium on Saturday.
Despite missing an early penalty and falling behind in the first half, Sevilla secured the win thanks to a late strike from Dodi Lukebakio.
The visitors had an ideal opportunity to seize control just three minutes into the game when Isaac Romero was fouled in the box by Oriol Romeu.
However, Girona’s goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga made a crucial save, diving to his left to deny Romero from the penalty spot.
Moments later, Gazzaniga showcased his reflexes again, blocking Ruben Vargas’ close-range effort before Vargas squandered a second chance by firing into the side netting.
Girona responded with a threatening move of their own, as Ivan Martin set up Abel Ruiz in the area, only for Sevilla goalkeeper Orjan Nyland to charge out and smother the attempt.
Sevilla remained aggressive, with Romero delivering a cross that found Lukebakio, whose shot eluded Gazzaniga but rebounded off the crossbar.
Girona capitalized on their next opportunity, taking the lead in the 34th minute.
Viktor Tsyhankov’s floated delivery from a short corner was met by Arnau Martinez, whose glancing header left Nyland helpless.
In the second half, Sevilla pushed for an equalizer. Saul Niguez came close with a header from a corner that Gazzaniga initially saved, but Niguez made no mistake on the follow-up, hammering the rebound into the net in the 59th minute.
Girona nearly regained the lead shortly after, but Martinez missed the target with a low shot from a promising position in the box.
With the match heading towards a draw, Sevilla delivered the decisive blow. In the 88th minute, Niguez directed a header to Lukebakio, who skillfully maneuvered past a defender and calmly slotted the ball past Gazzaniga to seal all three points for the visitors.
The win lifts Sevilla to 26 points, narrowing the gap to Girona, who sit eighth with 28 points. For Girona, the loss halted their momentum after two consecutive victories.
