In a dramatic conclusion to a tight clash, Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri struck in the 96th minute to salvage a point for Sevilla. The late goal capped a match that had swung in Rayo Vallecano’s favor after a bright first half, during which the visitors found the net twice and dictated the tempo in the early stages.
Early on, Oscar Valentín opened the scoring at twenty-one minutes, followed by Álvaro García doubling the advantage. At the Ramon Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium, Rayo carried a 0-2 lead into halftime as Sevilla, exposed by two close-range strikes and sluggish attacking build-up, searched for an improved flow after the break. The hosts responded just after the restart, pulling one back through a well-taken finish from Djibril Sow and then drawing level when En-Nesyri converted from close range near the end.
Rayo found themselves five points ahead of Sevilla, a gap that remained intact for a time as the Andalusian side failed to register a win in four consecutive matches across a demanding schedule. The most recent defeat for Mendilibar’s team had come on September 2, a 1-0 result away to their city rivals Betis, highlighting the challenge of breaching an opponent’s goal while balancing domestic and continental duties.
Sevilla approached the game with urgency, aiming to stretch their period of recovery after the international interruption. The side has shown improvement in recent weeks, but victories have remained scarce amid a congested calendar and the need to maintain forward momentum on multiple fronts.
Antonio Mendilibar took the field with clear intent, hoping to replicate the success of the prior league wins against Sánchez-Pizjuán rivals since Las Palmas and Almería. Francisco Rodríguez’s visitors demonstrated a strong start, fielding a direct approach that aimed to exploit spaces in behind Sevilla’s defense as soon as the ball found its way into dangerous zones.
Rayo’s rapid attacking exchanges tested Sevilla’s defense as the game progressed. The opening goal materialized after a quarter of an hour, when Isi Palazón fired from inside the box and was brilliantly thwarted by the Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. The rebound fell to right-back Juanlu Sánchez, who pushed the ball beyond Nyland and into the net, giving Rayo the lead.
Moments later, a cross from Isi served as the catalyst for a sequence that ended with Nemanja Gudelj inadvertently angling the ball into his own net, before Óscar Valentín arrived to tuck away the rebound. The early setback proved costly for Mendilibar’s side, as the 0-1 scoreline quickly escalated to 0-2, with Utrera’s Álvaro García finishing clinically after a ball recovered high up the pitch and a decisive misstep by Nyland.
The scoreline forced a tactical reshuffle at the break, with Croatian Ivan Rakitic being introduced instead of Brazilian Fernando Reyes in an attempt to steady the midfield and inject moments of quality. The home crowd reacted with a mixture of frustration and expectation as Sevilla faced a daunting deficit heading into the second half.
After the restart, Mendilibar deployed Adrían Pedrosa to replace Marcos Acuña and Lucas Ocampos for Óliver Torres, seeking greater width and tempo. The changes paid dividends as Sow’s well-timed finish, arriving five minutes after the restart, pulled Sevilla back into the contest and energized the home side with a renewed sense of belief.
What followed resembled a siege as Sevilla pressed relentlessly in search of parity, and the visitors absorbed pressure while trying to preserve their advantage. Francisco Rodríguez’s team learned to withstand the flurry, but Sevilla’s persistence began to tell as the match wore on. En-Nesyri rose highest to head home from a corner, restoring parity and leaving the scoreline poised on a knife edge as the clock ticked down to the final moments.
That late goal finally settled a contest that had offered moments of high drama and tactical intrigue. While Rayo had looked in control for long stretches, Sevilla’s never-say-die attitude produced a dramatic equalizer that preserved their momentum in a campaign characterized by resilience and competitive spirit. The match concluded with a sense that both teams had extracted something meaningful from the encounter, even as the balance of reward remained a point apiece.