Osasuna suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Sevilla on Monday in the tenth round of LaLiga EA Sports. Goals from Isaac Romero in the 24th minute and Felix Correia in the 82nd, both assisted by Youssouf Fofana, sealed a clear victory for the hosts against an Osasuna side that offered little in attack during the second half.
Jagoba Arrasate's team, who arrived with 11 points and in 12th place in the standings, could not react after the opening goal. Possession was tight, with 46% for the visitors against Sevilla's 41%, but offensive efficiency was the key difference. The home side's 19 shots nearly doubled Osasuna's 11 attempts, with the visitors only troubling the goal seriously from a corner header that went just wide. Sevilla, in contrast, found greater danger with 13% of their shots on target resulting in a goal, compared to Osasuna's 0%.
A Sparkless Second Half
The game slipped away from Osasuna after the break. With top scorer Ante Budimir, who has 7 goals this season, neutralised by the Sevilla defence, creativity was sorely lacking. Goalkeeper Aitor Fernández had to work hard, saving a powerful Fofana free-kick and a shot that hit the post. Yellow cards for Alejandro Catena and Valentin Rosier reflected the frustration of a defence under constant pressure. The lack of attacking ideas was such that Osasuna failed to register a single shot on target in the entire second half.
Isaac Romero, scorer of the first goal, acknowledged his teammate's contribution afterwards. "Me quedo con la asistencia. Medio gol es de Fofana," said the striker. Felix Correia, who sealed the scoreline, highlighted the importance of collective work. "Me siento muy cómodo cuando tengo otro compañero. Me siento más cómodo porque tengo otro compañero que me ayuda a luchar," he explained. Sevilla coach Quique Sánchez Flores praised his team's solidity, stating they "knew how to control their strong points and be effective when we had the chance."
The loss in Sevilla solidifies an inconsistent run for Osasuna, whose record in the last five matchdays is one win, one draw and three defeats. This result keeps the team in the lower-middle section of the standings, 16 points behind leaders Barcelona. The next fixture is on Sunday, 2 November, at Riazor against Deportivo La Coruña, who are 11th in the table. Jagoba Arrasate must find solutions to recover his side's attacking edge, as the team has now gone three consecutive matches without scoring.
First reported at Europa Press
Osasuna manager Jagoba Arrasate acknowledged on Tuesday that the 2-0 defeat to Sevilla was deserved. "The first thing we have to do is accept the defeat. It was a deserved defeat," Arrasate said. The coach explained his team failed to sustain its promising start and became predictable. The side, 12th with 11 points, has conceded 20 goals in 10 matchdays.
Sevilla manager Luis García Plaza highlighted his team's defensive solidity after the victory. "Third clean sheet. Time to think about the Cup," the coach said. Sevilla, now settled in sixth place with 17 points, kept a clean sheet for the third time this season, the club confirmed.
