Sevilla made to wait for Champions League qualification by Mallorca
Madrid (AFP) – Sevilla failed to make sure of their place in La Liga’s top four on Wednesday as their poor end to the season continued with a goalless draw at home to struggling Mallorca.
The stalemate at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan should only delay Sevilla’s qualification for the Champions League given they sit five points clear of Real Betis, with two games left to play.
Sevilla also have the superior head-to-head over Betis, meaning they will need only one more point to guarantee they finish ahead of their city rivals.
But Julen Lopetegui’s side do have two tricky last games, with a trip to Atletico Madrid to come on Sunday before their final match at home to Athletic Bilbao.
And even if they get over the line, Sevilla are ending what was once a promising campaign with a whimper, after just three wins now in their last 12 in all competitions.
There were whistles from the home fans while Mallorca were hardly satisfied with a draw either. They stay 18th, two points adrift of safety, with Cadiz ahead of them playing a game in hand away at Real Sociedad on Thursday.
Sevilla had the better chances overall but Mallorca were far from overwhelmed and could have taken the lead on the break when Vedat Muriqi’s header had to be clawed away by Bono.
Anthony Martial went close for Sevilla in the second half but their best chance came in injury-time as Youssef En-Nesyri connected well with a header, only for Mallorca goalkeeper Manolo Reina to make an excellent save.