Scotland international in 40-day first as La Liga outfit snap winless streak and move into European spots
Scotland starlet forced to make impact from the bench in vital win.
Scotland international Robbie Ure had to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench as his Sevilla side snapped their four-game winless run with a convincing 2-0 home win over Osasuna at Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan on Monday night.
Ure, 22, has started six of his 10 appearances since joining the La Liga side, and has been named in the line-up for their last three league games, following his £7.5million summer move from Swedish side IK Sirius. The ex-Rangers academy player notched his first goal for the club in a 3-3 draw with Levante earlier this month, but was dropped to the bench for the first time since September 16.
Scoring 31 goals in 51 games for the Swedish outfit over the last two seasons, Ure attracted interest from several top European sides before he signed a five-year deal with Sevilla in August. His rapid rise saw him rewarded with a first call-up to the Scotland national team under new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli last month, making his senior international debut against Slovenia shortly afterwards.
However, having been without a win since beating Deportivo La Coruna 1-0 last month, head coach Luis Garcia opted to change his formation and play with a front two following their four game winless run in all competitions, introducing 21-year-old Lucas Stassin for his first start in over a month in place of Ure.
The away side almost took a shock lead after four minutes when Flavien Boyomo headed wide from a corner. However, it was Belgian international’s strike partner Isaac Romero who got Sevilla off to the perfect start when he fired home from the edge of the area with the outside of his boot after a smart flick from midfielder Youssouf Fofana on 24 minutes.
He then turned creator just moments later when he fed Felix Correia just outside the box, though his right-footed drive went over the crossbar. Dominant throughout the first period, the home side saw chances fall to both Stassin and Andres Castrin before the restart, as Sevilla went in search of a victory that would push them back into the top six of La Liga after a tough month of results.
With the hosts searching for a crucial second, Scotland starlet Ure was brought off the bench just after the hour mark, replacing Stassin. His introduction to the team nearly coincided with a stunning second from Sevilla, as a 30-yard free-kick from Fofana almost caught Osasuna goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez off guard and went in.
The clinching second did eventually arrive in the 82nd minute through Felix Correia, with the Portuguese winger taking advantage of some neat interplay in the area from Fofana, before cutting in and slamming home a smart finish into the top corner of the net to seal a deserved win for Sevilla.
The result means Los Nervionenses are back on course for European qualification after moving into sixth place in La Liga, which offers them a potential place in the Europa League come the end of the season if they can sustain the position. Sevilla face a hectic few days of domestic action next, with a Copa Del Rey clash away with Sporting Hortaleza coming up on Thursday, before they head to Getafe in the league just 72 hours later.
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