Sampaoli: Sevilla failed to consolidate dominance

Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli said his side failed to consolidate their second-half dominance before going down 3-2 to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup. 

Dani Carvajal struck the winning goal in extra time against a 10-man Sevilla, who were just seconds away from sealing a 2-1 win in regulation time on Tuesday.

Marco Asensio gave Madrid the lead midway through the first period but Sevilla struck back thanks to Franco Vazquez, before Yevhen Konoplyanka put Sampaoli’s side ahead via the penalty spot in the 72nd minute. 

But, just like he did against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final in 2014, Ramos struck in stoppage time to send the game into an extra 30 minutes, where Carvajal produced a moment of brilliance to seal Madrid’s first silverware of the season. 

Sampaoli was left proud of his side’s effort in the end, but lamented their inability to add to their dominance in the second period of the clash at the Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim, Norway. 

“We lacked the ability to consolidate the large dominance of the second half, to transform any chances we had into more and be more forceful,” the Argentine said after his first competitive game as Sevilla boss. 

Jorge Sampaoli: “I’m proud of the way #SevillaFC played this match” #vamosmisevilla pic.twitter.com/zuQtkJSVx9

— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) August 9, 2016

“When you’re not able to score, the opponent with the players it has can damage you, and they made the most of their virtues.”

He added: “I am proud of the game, in the short time working together we showed bravery, and the way we played against the European champions was exciting for me, I appreciate it a lot.”

Despite missing out on silverware in the first game of the season, Sevilla have the chance to hit back in the two-legged Supercopa de Espana against Barcelona, which begins at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday.

“We had to cut short [pre-season] to prepare for this game, but now we have another two to win a trophy before the [LaLiga] season starts,” Sampaoli concluded.