Sampaoli rues early Pareja red

Jorge Sampaoli has praised the effort and determination of his Sevilla side despite slipping to a 3-1 defeat at Espanyol on Sunday.

The Andalucians slipped to third in the table and are now four points behind leaders Real Madrid who have also played a game less, but the match at the RCDE Stadium was impacted by a penalty and red card for Sevilla defender Nicolas Pareja in the second minute.

“The effort of my players has been enormous – we did not stop searching for a way back into the game and we were always fighting for solutions, which is even harder with a player less,” explained Sampaoli.

“Was it a red card? I didn’t see the incident, I was too far away but it was a decision which, especially coming so early, had a massive impact on the match.

“It was frustrating to lose ground to Madrid at the top and to slip a position, we came here with great enthusiasm but due to unfavourable circumstances we come away with nothing.”

Tags Jorge Sampaoli Nico Pareja
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