Luck shines on Sevilla as Negredo downs Almeria

Sevilla enjoyed a huge slice of luck as they ended a run of four straight defeats with a 1-0 home win over Almeria on Saturday and move level on points with fourth-placed Real Mallorca.

Spanish international Alvaro Negredo scored the decisive goal on nine minutes to shoot down his old club Almeria although the waterlogged pitch played a decisive role with captain Wilmer Acasiete’s back pass stopping dead on the soaked surface to gift Sevilla their crucial goal.

It was only Negredo’s fifth of a difficult debut season since his club record 15 million euro move from Real Madrid but it is a vital one to stop the losing sequence and push Sevilla closer to the Champions League spots.

Almeria are two points above the relegation zone as new coach Junma Lillo struggles to guide the club to safety.

Sevilla certainly had the rain-soaked pitch to thank for their goal with Acasiete’s back pass to goalkeeper Diego Alves stopping suddenly due to the wet turf and Renato was on hand to lay off to Negredo who rolled the ball into the empty net.

Negredo seemed almost embarrassed to score the goal against old club Almeria where he spent two seasons on loan scoring 32 goals in 70 games before Real decided to sell him to Sevilla.

It was tough on Acasiete and Almeria but the visitors responded and Henok Goitom should have equalised on 19 minutes.

Negredo was at the centre of everything and had a great chance a minute after the break but his weak shot was held by Alves.

Sevilla were indebted to in-form goalkeeper Andres Palop, who denied Fernando Soriano in a one-on-one in the 69th minute and the hosts had an uncomfortable last quarter of an hour as they held on for the win.

Champions Barcelona can go eight points clear of Real with victory at lowly Valladolid later on Saturday as they bid to reach the halfway stage of the season unbeaten.

Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic has not scored in the league since a 2-0 win over Xerez on December 2 and believes the referees are blowing up against him due to his imposing 6ft 5in (1m 95cm) frame.

“When I and an opponent go for the ball, it looks like I?m going to kill him because I?m so big,” said Ibrahimovic. “I?ll just have to get used to the way they do things in Spain.”

Real Madrid are in action on Sunday when they host Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu looking to bounce back from a shock 1-0 loss at Athletic Bilbao last time out.

Real are five points behind pacesetters Barcelona but coach Manuel Pellegrini is still willing to part with 33-year-old Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy who has been strongly linked with a move to German side SV Hamburg.

“We have four strikers and we are well covered,” said Pellegrini. “Now the season is quite advanced and I think he’s every right to take decisions that he thinks are best for him. The club has total respect for his career, his capacity as a player and as a person.”

In Saturday’s late match Deportivo La Coruna host Real’s conquerors Athletic Bilbao at the Riazor Stadium.

Depor lost 3-0 at home to Sevilla in the Kings Cup quarter-final first leg in midweek but are going strong in sixth position while Bilbao are having a great season too and are a single point behind Depor.