Sporting de Gijon 2 - 1 Sevilla: Isma Lopez lifts Sporting Gijon out of drop zone with winner against Sevilla

Posted Thursday, April 21, 2016 by PA

Isma Lopez scored an injury-time winner as Sporting Gijon climbed out of the Primera Division relegation zone with a surprise 2-1 victory over Sevilla.

Sporting had only won once in 12 league matches and looked on course for another damaging defeat when Vicente Iborra gave Sevilla an early lead at Estadio El Molinon.

An own goal, however, from Grzegorz Krychowiak levelled the score before half-time and then Lopez snatched a dramatic three points for the home side with a cool finish in stoppage time at the end of the second half.

The result means Sporting move above Granada, who play Levante on Thursday, into 17th while Sevilla remain seventh.

Sevilla began the game four points behind Celta Vigo in the race for European qualification and this display will enhance the suspicion that Unai Emery now sees the Europa League as his side's best chance of playing on the continent again next season.

Emery's starting line-up included seven changes from the team that made it through to the Europa League semi-finals against Athletic Bilbao last week and this loss to a struggling Sporting side does little for Sevilla's hopes of catching the top six.

The hosts, in contrast, are gathering momentum, having lost only once in their last five and taken another impressive scalp to add to their win over Atletico Madrid last month.

Sporting travel to Barcelona on Saturday, a match unlikely to yield much reward after the Catalans' 8-0 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday. Their fate may instead be decided by two matches against Eibar and Getafe, before a home game against Villarreal on the last day of the season.

Sevilla host Real Betis on Sunday ahead of their Europa League semi-final first leg away to Shakhtar Donetsk next week.

Los Rojiblancos made the perfect start when Iborra slotted home his ninth goal of the season in the eighth minute and the visitors were good value for their lead, looking likely to press home their advantage.

Instead Krychowiak's diverted a free-kick into his own net in the 22nd minute and Sporting grew into the game after the interval.

The contest looked destined for a draw but Lopez had other ideas, latching on to Rachid Ait Atmane's pass and firing a left-footed shot past Sergio Rico to grab victory.