Sevilla dominated the majority of their Champions League last-16 first leg against Leicester City but conceded an away goal in a slender 2-1 victory.
Goals from Pedro Sarabia and Joaquin Correa appeared to set Sevilla on their way, having controlled the opening hour, but Jamie Vardy pulled one back for Leicester to keep the Foxes' hopes alive in the return leg on March 14.
Sevilla and Leicester named attacking XIs for the Sanchez Pizjuan showdown, the Andalusians managed on the night by Jorge Sampaoli's assistant Juanma Lillo due to a touchline ban for the Argentine.
Pablo Sarabia came into the game in a rich vein of form, and the winger cut inside from the right and bent a shot just over to set the mood.
Not long later, Wes Morgan slid through Correa in the box for a Sevilla penalty, which the midfielder had saved by Kasper Schmeichel.
Schmeichel’s heroics prevented Leicester from a drubbing in the first half as he was at it again to punch Stevan Jovetic’s looping shot off the line.
Yet he could do little about the hosts’ opening goal, scored by Sarabia, who met a delicious delivery at the back post and powered a header past the helpless Dane.
Sevilla paid relegated Getafe just £850,000 for Sarabia last summer, the winger since weighing in with nine goals and 11 assists, and he almost added to the former with a cross-shot that Schmeichel needed to parry away to his right.
Los Nervionenses enjoyed over 70 percent possession in 35 first-half minutes, but they peaked too early and continued to waste chances, Correa seeing another drive parried away by Schmeichel.
Samir Nasri slipped in Vitolo at the beginning of the restart, and the winger’s dinked finish hit Schmeichel’s near post, rolled across the line but didn’t go over.
The opposite post then opened up for Sarabia, but his curling strike ended up going wide.
A game-changing moment came just before the hour, when Demarai Gray replaced Ahmed Musa with the intention of injecting some much-needed penetration into Leicester’s play.
His introduction was soon followed by the Premier League champions creating a first, legitimate chance as Danny Drinkwater’s low shot was deflected just wide of a scrambling Sergio Rico.
Their hopes of a comeback were seemingly dashed after a long ball was fabulously taken down by Jovetic, who swivelled past Morgan and laid off Correa for a sliding finish.
It could’ve got even worse for them, had Vitolo’s subsequent cross-shot rolled behind Schmeichel and into his goal as opposed to away from it.
Nonetheless, Drinkwater managed to get in behind and put the ball on a silver platter for Jamie Vardy, at the far post, to blast into the roof of Rico’s net.
Schmeichel ensured that was no flash in the pan when he made himself big to deny Vitolo at the far post from Sarabia’s square ball.
Still, Sevilla were desperately unlucky not to score a sacred third goal in the dying embers as Adil Rami, having climbed highest from a corner, sent a header onto the bar.
Sevilla 2-1 Leicester City
Sarabia 25, Correa 62 (S) Vardy 73 (L)
Sevilla: Rico; Mariano, Lenglet (Carrico), Rami, Escudero; N'Zonzi, Nasri; Sarabia, Correa (Iborra), Vitolo; Jovetic
Leicester City: Schmeichel; Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs; Mahrez, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Albrighton (Amartey 88); Vardy, Musa (Gray 58)
Referee: Turpin (FRA)
