Saviola strikes twice for Sevilla
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Article summary
Sevilla FC 3-1 Vitória SC Javier Saviola scored two as Sevilla booked a place in the last 32 at the expense of Guimarães, who bow out.
Article body
Sevilla FC made sure of their safe passage into the last 32 of the UEFA Cup after a comfortable win against Vitória SC at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, which ended the Portuguese outfit's own hopes of progress.
Guimarães out
All the goals came in the first half as on-loan Argentinian forward Javier Saviola struck twice and Adriano Correia added a third to send the Spanish side through from Group H with one game to spare. For Guimarães, who scored what proved to be a consolation goal through Selim Benachour moments before half-time, the defeat proved to be the final nail in their UEFA Cup coffin.
Palop saves
Sevilla were ahead as early as the tenth minute as Saviola got on the end of Adriano's cross to turn the ball in from close range. An entertaining start saw Guimarães come close to drawing level ten minutes later when Andrés Palop was called on to tip Moreno's free-kick over the bar. Then, from the resulting corner, Attila Dragóner got a header on target but Palop was once more equal to the effort.
Saviola strikes
At the other end, Jesús Navas fired narrowly wide before Saviola doubled both Sevilla's and his own personal tally, firing right-footed into the bottom left-hand of the goal. It was not long before they went 3-0 up, when in the 39th minute José Luis Martí played in Adriano and the forward shot low into the bottom left-hand corner.
Consolation goal
Brazilian defender Daniel almost got a fourth two minutes before the break when Guimarães goalkeeper Paiva could only parry his shot from the edge of the box, but instead it was the visitors that struck next. Neca took a free-kick, setting up Bena who shot into the top right-hand corner of the net a minute before the break.
Paiva heroics
A minute after the restart Frédéric Kanouté forced a good save from Paiva, and the goalkeeper was in action again soon after to deny Martí and Daniel. At the other end, Neca fired over from long-range before Cléber did likewise and although Moreno did turn Neca's corner goalwards as the half wore on, Daniel got in a crucial block, and there was to be no way back for Guimarães.
