Spanish League: Sevilla loses to Alaves, suffers second straight defeat

Sevilla also lost to Manchester City on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup final last week and was looking to turn things around against an opponent it hadn’t lost to in nine straight league games.

Rafa Mir of Sevilla celebrates after scoring a goal against Sevilla FC. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Sevilla couldn’t end its early struggles, losing at promoted Alaves 4-3 for its second consecutive loss to start the Spanish league on Monday.

Sevilla also lost to Manchester City on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup final last week and was looking to turn things around against an opponent it hadn’t lost to in nine straight league games.

But a pair of goals by Kike Garcia five minutes apart midway through the second half secured Alaves the victory. Back in the first division after a year in the second tier, Alaves also scored through Luis Rioja and Rubén Duarte in the first half.

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Sevilla got on the board before halftime with an own goal by Abdel Abqar and Erik Lamela. Rafa Mir added the third deep into second-half stoppage time.

Sevilla hasn’t won in its last six league games going back to last season, with two draws and four losses. It also got off to a slow start last season and was near the relegation zone for a lengthy period.

Late on Monday, Granada looked to bounce back from its opening loss at Atletico Madrid when it hosted Rayo Vallecano, which won at Almeria in the competition’s first game last weekend. Rayo was unbeaten in its last seven league matches against Granada.