Sevilla moved provisionally into third place in La Liga after edging bottom-placed Valencia 1-0 on Friday at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in the opening match of the fifth round.
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Sevilla defender Juan Iglesias scored the only goal of the game in the 81st minute, securing the Andalusian side’s third victory of the season.
The win took Sevilla’s tally to 10 points, moving them temporarily into third place on goal difference behind second-placed Deportivo Alaves, who visit Racing Santander on Saturday, and two points behind defending champions and league leaders Barcelona, who travel to Levante on Sunday.
The first half ended goalless, with few clear chances and neither side managing a shot on target.
Sevilla improved significantly after the break and created a series of opportunities before Iglesias headed home the decisive goal from inside the penalty area.
The victory helped Sevilla regain their balance after collecting just one point from their previous two matches. They had drawn 1-1 away to Espanyol in the fourth round after suffering a 3-1 home defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Valencia remained rooted to the bottom of the table with just one point after suffering their third consecutive defeat. They were previously thrashed 5-0 at home by Barcelona and lost 3-1 away to Deportivo La Coruna.
The fifth round continues on Saturday with Osasuna vs. Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao vs. Elche, and Real Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano.
Sunday’s fixtures include Celta Vigo vs. Malaga, Getafe vs. Deportivo La Coruna, and Real Sociedad vs. Atletico Madrid, while the round concludes Monday with Villarreal vs. Real Betis.
