Real Sociedad 2 - 0 Sevilla: Real Sociedad make winning start to life after David Moyes

Posted Sunday, November 22, 2015 by PA

Life after David Moyes is looking bright for Real Sociedad after they beat Sevilla 2-0 to pick up their first home win of the season.

New coach Eusebio Sacristan earned three points in his first game in charge thanks to second-half goals from Imanol Agirretxe and Xabi Prieto, although this was far from a top-class performance from the hosts.

They relied on a couple of excellent saves from goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli to come through a first half which the visitors bossed, although Unai Emery's side were dealt a setback when defender Marco Andreolli was stretchered off before half-time with a suspected knee injury.

The two teams had contrasting fortunes before the international break, Sevilla beating Real Madrid 3-1 and inflicting a first loss on Rafael Benitez while Real Sociedad lost 2-0 at struggling Las Palmas - a result and performance that proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Moyes.

The new era under Eusebio did not get off to the best start, with Sevilla enjoying most of the chances in the first half, Jose Antonio Reyes narrowly shooting over the bar and Rulli saving at point-blank range from Adil Rami, while Ciro Immobile had a goal harshly ruled out for offside.

The Basques improved after the break but only took the lead through a touch of fortune. The Sevilla defence failed to clear the danger and the ball spun up towards Agirretxe, who would have been offside had the ball not come off a visiting defender. The striker made no mistake, striking past Sergio Rico on the volley to break the deadlock on 73 minutes.

Just a few moments later Prieto made sure of the points, also pouncing on a defensive mishap to blast past Rico.