Sevilla romp to victory

Jose Antonio Reyes and Federico Fazio scored first-half braces as Sevilla gained a stunning 5-1 victory over Real Betis.

Jose Antonio Reyes and Federico Fazio both scored first-half braces as Sevilla put their recent bad form behind them with a stunning victory over local rivals Real Betis. The pressure was on Michel Gonzalez's side to produce the goods after a recent slump in results and they never looked back after taking the lead in the opening seconds through former Arsenal striker Reyes. They were two up inside five minutes thanks to Fazio and further first-half goals from the pair ended the match as a contest. Betis' evening was compounded when Ruben Perez was dismissed for a second bookable offence and although they did claim a consolation of sorts through Ruben Castro's strike, Ivan Rakitic sealed a sensational win for Sevilla in injury time. It was the hosts' first win in four and moved them up to sixth, a point and a place behind their arch rivals. They started in the best possible fashion tonight although they were grateful for a shocking mistake from Betis goalkeeper Miguel Adrian. His attempted clearance just after kick-off fell straight to Reyes, who made no mistake by firing in at the near post. The goal was timed at 11 seconds and represented a dream start for Sevilla, who went further ahead in the fifth minute when Fazio beat the offside trap to head home Rakitic's free-kick. It was one-way traffic and the home side should have been even further ahead before the 10th minute when Reyes rounded Adrian, only to see his shot go wide of the target. Adrian made amends for his earlier error by magnificently saving from Reyes, but the 29-year-old would not be denied and he stole in to score from close range in the 33rd minute after Alvaro Negredo's header came back off the underside of the bar. Sevilla were well and truly on cloud nine when Fazio's header two minutes before the interval gave them a scarcely believable 4-0 half-time cushion. Adrian's throw was intercepted by Reyes deep in Betis' half and his cross from the left found an unmarked Fazio, who powered his header low into the right corner. To their credit, Betis emerged a more competent side after the break, presumably following a tongue-lashing from boss Pepe Mel still ringing in their ears. They managed to stifle Sevilla's attacking threat although their task was made harder when Ruben Perez was shown his second yellow card in the 62nd minute for blocking Navas' thumping shot with his hand. But to everyone's surprise they managed to get on the scoresheet four minutes later when Ruben Castro slotted home from Juan Carlos' left-wing cross. It was a rare highlight for the visitors, who shipped a fifth in stoppage time when Rakitic collected the ball and slipped it into the net after being allowed to pick his spot.