Soccer-Getafe take control of battle for fourth with Sevilla hammering

Getafe took control of the battle for the fourth and final Champions League spot in La Liga as a Jorge Molina double helped them sweep past 10-men Sevilla 3-0 on Sunday. The Andalusian side went into the crunch fixture in fourth place and a point ahead of their hosts but lost that advantage after slipping up against a more clinical Getafe.

Sevilla started a feisty affair brighter, with Franco Vazquez clipping the bar and Wissam Ben Yedder forcing David Soria into action early on. But they fell behind against the run of play after Vazquez handled the ball in the area.

Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz initially waved away appeals but following a VAR review, a spot kick was awarded and Jaime Mata made no mistake to net his 14th goal of the season. Things went from bad to worse for the visitors on the stroke of halftime as they conceded a second spot kick for handball. Sergio Escudero, who was booked for his protests surrounding the first penalty, was the guilty party and shown a second yellow card by Mateu Lahoz.

Molina converted the penalty before doubling his tally eight minutes after the restart. Dakonam Djene was then dismissed late on for Getafe after another VAR intervention for a tackle on Jesus Navas.

Getafe climbed up to fourth with 54 points, while Sevilla slipped to fifth on 52. (Reporting by Joseph Cassinelli, editing by Pritha Sarkar)