Celta watched as the game unfolded in the 19th minute when a collision with another player led to a dismissal involving Senegalese Pape Gueye. Despite the setback, both sides pushed forward and the second half brought Seville back into contention, though the visitors stayed ahead for a portion of the match. The final result remained in doubt as the home side chased an equalizer while Sevilla pressed to protect a fragile lead, illustrating a contest defined by persistence on both sides.
Moroccan Youssef En-Nesyri and Argentina’s Marcos Acuña opened the scoring to make it 2-0, but Miguel Rodríguez found a lifeline with a goal in the 89th minute, and Gonçalo Paciencia equalized in the 93rd minute to level the score. The match also saw Acuña sent off for a direct red card after dissent toward the referee following the concession of the second goal by the visitors.
The atmosphere in the Andalusian capital carried an unusual sense of festivity, coinciding with Good Friday and the emotional weight of being at Sánchez-Pizjuán where the city’s seven fraternities are in their processional stations. The occasion also marked a rare moment with two divisions of Gol Norte empty due to a long-standing sanction first imposed in 2017. Yet the competition’s importance never wavered, and the match retained a fierce, competitive edge.
For Sevilla, the encounter carried the weight of improving European positioning, while Celta aimed to forget a difficult run of results and regain momentum for a potential European push, under the guidance of José Luis Mendilibar, who made his home debut in Cádiz with a 0-2 result and sought stability amid a tight domestic table.
Badé’s shot clanged off a post, a moment that captured the restless tempo of the game. The post from @SevillaFC continued to echo as the teams traded chances and the tension rose on the pitch, a scene memorialized in social media highlights from LaLiga.
The Basque coach later benefited from further recoveries among the squad, with players like Marcao Teixeira, Karim Rekik, and Alejandro Gómez returning, along with the welcome return after four matches for Fernandinho Reges. On the other bench, Carlos Carvalhal of Vigo opted to bring Renato Tapia into the lineup, replacing the youngster Gabri Veiga, who remained a focal point of the tactical plan.
Sevilla pressed with its characteristic resilience, but the visitors remained true to their style—direct when needed and relentlessly applying pressure to negate the hosts’ build-up, aiming to disrupt Iván Villar’s goal line protection with quick transitions and sharp forays forward.
A striking moment came with a corner delivered by a counter-attack that culminated in a header for Sevilla, signaling a 1-0 advantage as the first half closed—and a phase that set the stage for a tense second period, where tactical adjustments would dictate the outcome. Carlos Carvalhal, eyeing a shift, introduced Gonçalo Paciencia, pairing him with Aspas and Seferovic in an offensive trident designed to spur a late rally, with Paciencia almost converting a critical chance just before the interval.
As the match wore on, Celta found themselves looking to reassert control and redirect the tempo. The early pressure from the visitors gradually faded as Sevilla restructured and adapted to field conditions, seeking balance through a compact defense and swift, direct transitions to threaten on the break.
In the heat of the second half, Sevilla increased its intensity, culminating in a powerful strike from Acuña just after the 80-minute mark that found the net—a shot that rode a deflection and left the goalkeeper with little opportunity. The stadium roared as the ball found its way past the upright, widening the gap and re-igniting the home side’s belief in a possible victory.
With the clock ticking, Celta pushed forward again, and Miguel Rodríguez struck to close the gap, while Paciencia nodded in a precise header to level the score near stoppage time. The excitement peaked as the referee’s final whistle loomed, and Acuña’s dismissal soon followed for disciplinary reasons, capping a dramatic, high-stakes draw that offered both sides a moment to reflect on what might have been.
Throughout the match, the broadcast and social media coverage captured the ebb and flow of momentum, the tactical adjustments from Mendilibar and Carvalhal, and the evolving storyline of a season that remains open at both ends of the table. The game underscored the enduring appeal of a rivalry steeped in history and marked by late twists that keep fans guessing until the final whistle. (LaLiga, 2023)