MADRID (AP) — Álvaro García Pascual, who last year was playing college soccer in the United States, gave Sevilla a 1-0 home win over Las Palmas and moved the traditional Spanish club on the verge of escaping relegation in the Spanish league on Tuesday.
García Pascual scored the winning goal with a header in the 52nd minute to move Sevilla seven points clear of the relegation zone with two games remaining. Some teams can cut that gap as the mid-week round continues on Wednesday and Thursday.
The 22-year-old García Pascual was playing at Marshall University until last year, and before that he was at Coastal Carolina University. The forward joined Sevilla's B team in 2024, and made his first-team debut as a substitute in a game against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in December.
Tuesday's victory ended an eight-game winless streak for Sevilla, which a few days ago faced a protest by a large group of angry fans who forced their way onto the premises of the club’s training grounds following another loss.
Sevilla fired coach Francisco García Pimienta in April, and former coach Joaquín Caparrós replaced him in a caretaker role. The club has been hit by financial plight and poor results ever since winning its seventh and last Europa League title in 2023.
It was the fourth-straight defeat for Las Palmas, which stayed in second-to-last-place, three points from salvation.
Other results
In other results, 13th-place Girona won 1-0 at already relegated Valladolid, which has lost 10 games in a row. Cristhian Stuani scored Girona's winner in the 80th.
Seventh-place Celta Vigo strengthened its hold in the European qualification spots by winning 1-0 at 12th-place Real Sociedad, which is winless in six consecutive matches. Celta has won three of its last four matches.
Real Madrid needs to beat Mallorca at home on Wednesday to keep Barcelona from winning the league title in advance. Even if Madrid wins, the Catalan club can lift the trophy with a victory at Espanyol on Thursday.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
