Juanlu issues grovelling apology after early bath against Alavés
Sevilla's young right-back has apologized to teammates and fans after his 16th-minute red card left his side to battle with 10 men in their draw with Alavés.
A moment of madness from Juanlu Sánchez saw Sevilla reduced to ten men after just 16 minutes, yet the Andalusians somehow managed to nick a point against Alavés despite playing over 70 minutes a man down.
Red mist descends
The young right-back’s afternoon turned into a proper nightmare when he received his marching orders for a second bookable offence – a stamp on Yusi Enríquez that gave the referee no choice but to send him for an early bath.
What makes it worse is that Juanlu had already been booked in just the second minute of the match for another robust challenge on the same Alavés player. That first yellow came after VAR review, suggesting it could’ve even been a straight red on another day.
Public apology
To his credit, the Sevilla academy graduate has fronted up and taken responsibility through social media, acknowledging his mistake cost the team dearly:
“I wanted to apologize for leaving the team with one less in the first half,” Juanlu wrote, before explaining how sometimes excessive enthusiasm can lead to costly errors.
He didn’t stop there, making sure to:
- Thank his teammates for their tremendous effort playing a man down
- Express confidence they’ll turn things around with the right attitude
- Show appreciation to the Sevilla faithful for their unwavering support
Almeyda’s response
Sevilla manager Matías Almeyda was straight as a die in his post-match comments, admitting the sending off was fully justified. However, the Argentine boss showed understanding toward his young player, suggesting it was a learning experience for everyone involved.
“We’ll see what’s said after reviewing the images. Obviously, we all learn from everything. Everyone learns from everything, even I will learn from certain things,” Almeyda reflected.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Sevilla showed remarkable resilience to secure a valuable point, though they’ll surely be wondering what might have been had they kept eleven men on the pitch. For Juanlu, it’s a harsh lesson in controlling that passion when the adrenaline’s pumping.