Juventus, having secured their passage to the knockout stages last time out and currently occupying top spot, were dealt the cruelest of blows when Fernando Llorente, who departed Turin for Sevilla in the summer, netted the goal to consign the Old Lady to second place in Group D of the Champions League.
Frenetic encounter
Sevilla controlled the lion’s share of possession throughout the opening exchanges but it was the visitors, buoyed by their fifth successive victory at the weekend, who fashioned the first menacing opportunity on goal. Claudio Marchisio clipped a delightful centre into Alvaro Morata who, unchecked, headed over.
He would go close again minutes later too when, after springing the offside trap, he drove inside and flashed his effort across goal from an admittedly acute angle.
At the other end, Llorente, spearheading the home side’s attack against his former employers, was inches away from nodding beyond Gianluigi Buffon when Yehven Konoplyanka’s rasping drive flew towards goal.
Paulo Dybala though, has been in scintillating form and the Argentine flashed an effort inches wide of post when teed up by Marchisio on 17 minutes. Stefano Sturaro, from the subsequent move, stung the palms of Sergio Rico with a ferocious header.
Sevilla responded with a chance of their own as Llorente spun Leonardo Bonucci and prompted a fine save from Buffon before Konoplyanka, latching onto the rebound, scuffed an effort towards goal that the Italian managed to claw away to safety.
Juve should have broken the deadlock with a sumptuous move engineered by Bonucci, the defender lifting a ball towards Dybala who drifted in-behind and nodded down to Morata with only the goalkeeper to beat. Sensing perhaps the imminent contact of Rico though, the Spaniard prodded wide.
Llorente was then foiled by the excellence of Buffon when his goal bound header was pounced upon the Italian stopper.
Juve were circulating possession with intent and, with only 90 seconds having elapsed in the second period, Pogba drew a fine stop from Rico between the sticks.
The game ebbed as the hour mark approached, with Konoplyanka’s sky bound effort the only attempt of note.
Heartbreak for the visitors
The script, however, had been written. Llorente had eulogised about his stint in Turin before the match and, after going close in the first-half, he would return to hurt his former employers. Leaping highest from a corner on 64 minutes, the Spaniard glanced his header towards the back post and out of the reach of Buffon.
Giorgio Chiellini, quite cynically, bundled the ex-Juventus forward from behind minutes later as the hosts appealed for a spot-kick.
Marchisio, elegant on the evening, then tried his luck from distance but his effort was blocked by his own teammate, Sturaro.
This desperation to score was justified on the final whistle when it was revealed that Manchester City had beaten Borussia Mönchengladbach to top the group, but the Italian outfit just could not get on the scoresheet as Dybala rattled the crossbar, almost at the same as Raheem Sterling notched the Citizens back ahead at the Etihad. Allegri watched on in disbelief.
The hosts could have put the game beyond doubt when Kevin Gameiro wriggled free of Bonucci, but he could not dispatch beyond Buffon.
Rico then propelled himself to hero when he thwarted Morata from point-blank range after Cuadrado had teed up the Spaniard, ensuring victory and Europa League football for the Spanish outfit as Juve only managed to go through to the Champions League's last 16 in second