Sevilla make history by winning the Club Challenge title in thrilling game

Sevilla became the first champion of the new tournament called “Desafio de Clubes”, which consists of a direct confrontation between the current champions of the Copa Sudamericana and the Europa League. Playing the decision inside their stadium, the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, the Spaniards defeated Independiente del Valle, from Ecuador. The final ended up being decided on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time, with two interventions by Serbian goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic.

Summary about the game

Deciding the first edition of the competition in its own stadium, coach José Luis Mendilibar opted for a squad full of reserves, since many important players entered the field during a friendly the day before.

The first stage between Spaniards and Ecuadorians started very busy, with an important intervention by Moisés Ramírez in Sevilla’s attack, but who opened the scoring in the sequence were the visitors. Lautaro Diáz took advantage of the silliness in the opponent’s defense and with category he touched under the goalkeeper, scoring the first goal of the confrontation. After being at a disadvantage early on, Sevilla began to dominate the game, looking for space in Del Valle’s strong defensive system, while the opponent continued to explore counterattacks in depth.

After the break, the Spaniards’ offensive attempts became more intense, something that did not happen so often during the first half. Even showing superiority, the home team had their great chance to equalize close to injury time after a corner kick. Ramirez did poorly in the set and left the goal open, Pedro Ortiz had the opportunity but tried to pass aside to Iván Romero, but had his pass intercepted in the last hour. Sevilla’s insistence was rewarded three minutes later, Pedro Ortiz received it again inside the area and this time beat the opposing goalkeeper, taking the decision to penalties.

Serbia goalkeeper shines on penalties

Marko Dmitrovic was the highlight in the penalty shootout between the teams. The Sevillian goalkeeper saved Faravelli and Marcelo Moreno, known for having played in Brazilian football, who entered during the game. Del Valle only managed to score in the dispute with Hoyos, while Jordan, Romero, Idrissi and Papú Gómez converted their penalties, giving the title to the Spanish club. The first edition of the tournament was named Antonio Puerta XII”, a tribute to the former Sevilla player, who died in 2007 of cardiac arrest.

Featured Photo: Sevilla squad at the trophy delivery. Reproduction/Gettyimages