Sevilla lost pace in the LaLiga title charge as Athletic Club beat them on Monday night. Inaki Williams scored a 90th-minute winner for the away side, which left Sevilla six points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid.
They will not be crowned Kings themselves, but Athletic Club are relishing in their role as the kingmakers. The Basque outfit has had a major say in this year’s LaLiga title race. They beat Atletico Madrid recently to allow Barcelona the chance to take the lead, only for the Catalan giants to then spurn the opportunity. However, their win against Sevilla on Monday has, in all likelihood, ended the latter’s title challenge.
A glance at the stats would confirm that Sevilla were indeed the side on top for much of the match. Julen Lopetegui’s side enjoyed the majority of possession and had more than twice as many shots on goal as their opponents. However, despite all of their dominance, Sevilla were unable to find the breakthrough goal.
Viewers had to wait until the 90th minute for the key moment of the match to arrive. Against the run of play, Athletic Club took the lead with just minutes remaining on the clock. Inaki Williams, who has barely missed a match for his boyhood club, scored the winning goal that sunk Sevilla to a defeat. The away side returned to Bilbao with all three points in the bag. Furthermore, they leapfrogged Celta Vigo and are now ninth in the league.
Sevilla’s short-lived title challenge has taken a massive hit following their latest defeat. As a consequence of their loss, they have fallen six points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid, and four behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. They could fall further behind next weekend as they face Los Blancos in a crucial match.
Meanwhile, on the same weekend, Barcelona will take on Atletico Madrid in what will potentially be the title-decider. A win for Atletico Madrid will take them five points clear of the Blaugrana with just three matches left in the season. On the other hand, a victory for Barcelona will see them overtake the Rojiblancos and go top of the league.
