Akor Adams Returns to Where It All Began as Sevilla Desperately Chase Goals
Akor Adams heads back to the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, the ground where he made his Sevilla debut, as the club fight to stay in La Liga.
Sevilla’s Nigerian striker makes a full circle this weekend, returning to the ground where his Nervionense adventure first started — but the stakes couldn’t be more different now.
A Debut to Remember (Sort Of)
Just over a year ago, Akor Adams pulled on the Sevilla shirt for the very first time at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez in a goalless draw against Getafe. He came off the bench late on, replacing Saúl Ñíguez, and spent his final minutes up front on his own after Isaac Romero also made way. Not exactly a barnstorming entrance, but manager García Pimienta was well pleased with what he saw from a lad who’d only had two training sessions under his belt at that point.
Then, just days later, the cruel world of football did what it does — Adams picked up a myotendinous injury to his rectus femoris in training and that was that for a while.
The Bright Spell That Gave Everyone Hope
When Adams came back firing after the Africa Cup of Nations, there were genuine reasons to be excited:
- Two goals against Elche
- One goal against Athletic Club
- A goal and an assist in the game against Oviedo before he’d even left for international duty
That Athletic Club win remains Sevilla’s last victory in the league. Since then? A defeat and two draws, with just three goals scored across those three games — and only one of them came from a striker, courtesy of new signing Maupay.
The Dry Spell and What Needs to Change
Sevilla are in a proper scrap for survival right now, and the goals have dried up at the worst possible time. The arrival of Maupay from the January window has at least given Matías Almeyda the option to play two up top, which is something. But Adams himself hasn’t found the net since that Athletic Club match, and with the team dropping points left, right and centre, he needs to rediscover that form sharpish.
It’s worth noting that Sevilla lost all three matches they played without Adams — against Real Madrid, Levante, and Celta — which tells you how much they depend on him when he’s on song.
Back to the Coliseum, Back to Business
So tomorrow (14:00) Adams starts at the very ground where he first wore the shirt. A bit poetic, really. Sevilla need the points badly, and they need their striker to remember what it felt like to be banging them in a few weeks back. No pressure, mate.