Sevilla impress at Espanyol

Sevilla produced a convincing performance away to Espanyol to pick up their first win of the season.

Goals from Carlos Bacca and Vicente Iborra in each half had put Unai Emery's side in command but Christian Stuani put the Catalans back in the game and set up an exciting finish.

The Europa League champions held on, though, and could even have extended their lead late on.

Sevilla turned up in Barcelona looking eager to compensate for dropping points late on to Valencia in their first league game of the season and played with more intensity than the hosts, although Sergio Garcia came close to giving Espanyol the lead as early as the 10th minute when his angled shot struck the far post.

Bacca should have given Sevilla the lead after 13 minutes when he found himself through on goal and with options to pass to, but the Colombian was thwarted by Espanyol goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, who earned his first ever call-up to the Spain squad on Friday.

Denis Suarez then passed up an opportunity to break the deadlock but Sevilla took a deserved lead 11 minutes before the break.

Bacca controlled a through-ball on the edge of the area before spreading the play to the right. His team-mate Coke then returned a sweeping ball across the face of the goal, which Bacca poked into the net.

Casilla was called into action again at the start of the second half to keep out an effort from midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak but the goalkeeper was picking the ball out of his net again 10 minutes later, and on this occasion played a part in conceding the goal.

He came rushing out of his area to clear the danger on the left wing but illegally handled the ball - earning himself a yellow card - and Vicente Iborra headed in Sevilla's second from the resulting free-kick.

Stuani gave Espanyol hope by cutting the visitors' advantage down to a single goal with a looping header and an equaliser almost arrived a few moments later, Garcia's shot saved by Sevilla goalkeeper Mariano Barbosa.

Aleix Vidal should have put the game out of Espanyol's reach in the closing minutes but missed the target from inside the area, and then in injury time Sevilla went close again to getting a third, Nicolas Pareja hitting the top of the crossbar from a free-kick.