Espanyol: Pau López; Rober (Cañas 69’), Alvaro González, Enzo Roco, Rubén Duarte; Oscar Duarte, Pape Diop; Hernán Pérez (Víctor Alvarez 79’), Víctor Sánchez, Marco Asensio; Caicedo (Gerard Moreno 63’). 4-2-3-1.
Sevilla: Sergio Rico; Diego Figueiras, Fazio, Kolodziejczak (Nico Pareja 46’), José Joaquín; Cotán, Cristóforo; Coke (Konoplyanka 61’), Iborra, Curro; Llorente (Juan Muñoz 69’). 4-2-3-1.
Goals:
1-0. 52. Caicedo. Following up after Rico pushed Asensio shot on to post.
Yellow cards: Nico Pareja 51’, Cañas 78’, Diogo Figueiras 79’, Oscar Duarte 86’, Alvaro 91’, Iborra 91’.
Sevilla will join Athletic and Celta in next season’s Europa League, either as Copa del Rey winners or as the seventh placed team, although (unless they win this year’s E-League final!) they will probably have to start the competition in the early rounds. Any real hope they had of catching either of the teams above them ended when they lost 1-0 at Espanyol, and they are now five points below Celta with only two games to go. Emery’s mind was on the European semi-final against Shakhtar though, and he put out a depleted side, including three B team youngsters in his line-up. Honours were evenly shared in the first half, Iborra and Víctor Sánchez the closest to scoring, but a couple of minutes after the restart Sánchez headed against the post, and soon afterwards Caicedo opened the scoring after Sergio Rico could only push Marco Asensio’s shot on to the upright. Rico had to save a couple of times after that from Asensio and Hernán Pérez, and Moreno hit the post again, but Espanyol already had the win they needed to virtually ensure top flight football in the Cornellà stadium for next season.