SEVILLE, Spain (AP) - No Sevilla player felt as relieved as Luciano Vietto after the hosts beat Lyon 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The newly transferred striker helped set up Sevilla’s winner by Wissam Ben Yedder in the 53rd minute. But Vietto failed to add to the lead with three clear chances - including a 69th-minute penalty kick way over the crossbar - keeping the French visitors in the Group H game until the end.
The win leaves Sevilla tied on four points with Juventus, which won 4-0 at Dinamo Zagreb. Sevilla had earned a draw at Juventus in the teams’ opener. Lyon remains with three points after its opening win over Dinamo Zagreb.
Vietto, who arrived this season on loan from Atletico Madrid, had a shot from close range saved in the 64th and another cleared by a defender on the goal line in the 77th.
“I didn’t have a great night,” the 22-year-old Argentine said. “I just have to keep trying. I wanted to have scored, but we needed the victory and that’s what we got in the end.”
Vietto headed a cross back across the area for Ben Yedder’s winner in front of the goal at the packed Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
Ben Yedder, who has six goals in 10 career games against Lyon, was going to take the second-half penalty kick but Vietto asked to do it instead.
Sevilla had 15 attempts in the second half.
“We played much better than the result showed in the second half,” Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli said. “We hope that in the next matches we don’t miss so many scoring chances because it can be costly in this type of competition.”
Lyon also had plenty of opportunities, including shots that hit the crossbar by Nabil Fekir in the 11th and Corentin Tolisso in the 76th.
The French club opened its Champions League campaign with a 3-0 home win over Dinamo Zagreb, but it has lost five of its 10 games overall this season.
Sevilla, the Europa League champion in the last three seasons, had lost four of its five games against French teams.
Spanish media said there were confrontations between local police and Lyon fans on the streets of Seville before the match. There were no reports of serious injuries or arrests.
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