Barcelona’s 8-0 win at Cordoba at Saturday – following a 6-0 midweek win against Getafe – sent them five points clear at the top of the Primera Liga.
The Catalans returned to the closest airport at Sevilla for a flight back to Barcelona as, nearby, Sevilla were preparing to play Real Madrid.
Unai Emery’s side were unbeaten at home in 15 months and had beaten Madrid in the equivalent fixture last season, but Carlo Ancelotti’s European champions had to win to stay in contention for the league.
Defeat and a five-point gap with three games to play would be all but unbridgeable.
Barca’s players were updated throughout their journey home. They heard Madrid go into a 2-0 lead with two goals in as many minutes from Cristiano Ronaldo and thought that was that – though Sevilla were down to 10 men as they conceded both.
Or maybe not, since Sevilla had come from two down to finish 2-2 at home to Barca weeks earlier.
Sevilla’s top scorer Carlos Bacca scored for his 20th league goal of the season, then Ronaldo scored again for a hat-trick to move back above Lionel Messi in the race for the Pichichi.
Sevilla scored again but Madrid won the game of the weekend 3-2 and the title race stays open, with Madrid pinning their hopes on their neighbours Atletico beating Barca at home in the penultimate league game.
The win also saw Iker Casillas equal Andoni Zubazarreta’s league record for being on the winning side a record 333 times in Primera Liga.
Valencia took advantage of Sevilla’s slip to move into fourth by beating fast sinking Eibar 3-1.
Los Che now have the best home record in the league.
Sevilla look outsiders to make that fourth Champions League spot and likely to finish fifth for a second successive season, but Emery was right to praise his players and say how proud he was of their 15-month unbeaten record that stretched back to a defeat to city neighbours Real Betis.
Betis are leading the second division and will be welcomed back next season, but Sevilla’s team are far from finished this term.
On Saturday, Emery’s players were applauded off the pitch after the defeat and Ancelotti even talked of Sevilla’s 43,000 match going fans and how hard it was for his team to win there.
Sevilla were unlucky to be without key holding midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak for seven minutes, which Ronaldo exploited with two goals, but they have had an excellent season. The reigning Europa League winners are on track to retain the trophy and win it for a record fourth time.
They face Italy’s Fiorentina in Thursday’s semi-final first leg at their Sanchez Pizjuan fortress.
Sevilla have won all six Europa League games at home this season, but their exploits have been getting attention from much wider than just from Fiorentina’s scouts.
AC Milan has identified Emery as the man to lead the club forward under key new shareholder, Thai businessman Bee Taechaubol.
Newcastle United are also interested in Emery. Clubs value his tactical nous and how he gets the best out of potentially problematic players, such as Ever Banega, while his sides play attractive football.
Only Barcelona and Real Madrid have played in games with more goals than Sevilla this season.
Sevilla are used to losing their top talents but they want to keep Emery, 43, and the Basque is far happier in Andalusia than he was at Valencia where he was expected to win trophies despite the club’s financial implosion.
But the prospect of managing in Italy or England on a far higher salary may appeal, especially as his only other foray outside Spain was an inauspicious spell at Spartak Moscow in 2012.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at our new home at NatSportUAE