LaLiga: Sevilla, Granada made to restart after referee calls time a minute early

Sevilla and Granada were made to come back out and play another minute on Sunday, after referee Ricardo de Burgos admitted he blew too early for full-time in a bizarre end to the match in La Liga. The controversial u-turn proved insignificant to the result as Sevilla saw out their 2-1 victory at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to stay in the hunt for the title. Despite four minutes being added on, De Burgos blew his whistle after 93 minutes, prompting protests from the Granada players. De Burgos initially seemed to insist his watch showed the four added minutes were played but soon realised his error and summoned both teams to return to the pitch. Sevilla’s players had already left and some of them had started to take their kit off, with midfielder Fernando pictured without his shirt on in the stands, shaking his head in disbelief. Marcos Acuna had to put his boots, socks and shinpads back on. “The referee stopped it because he thought time was up and then he told us he’d made a mistake,” said Sevilla’s Lucas Ocampos. “It was finished. I’ve never seen anything like it. We had basically taken our kit off.” Sevilla defender Jules Kounde wrote on Twitter: “If you want we can repeat the game!” Some of Granada’s players like Roberto Soldado saw the funny side but Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui was incensed the game was going to restart. Both coaches pressed start on their stopwatches when the additional 60 seconds began. “There was a problem with the watch or something like that," said Lopetegui. “It was a strange situation, with a lot of confusion. But I don’t want to put it in the news. It happened, we all make mistakes.” “They make mistakes like we all do and he tried to rectify it,” said Granada coach Diego Martinez. “Although it did hurt us because were chasing a goal and the dynamic wasn’t the same.” Sevilla saw the game through unscathed, with Granada unable even to launch another attack after the match resumed. An Ivan Rakitic penalty and a Lucas Ocampos’ finish secured victory for Sevilla, despite Soldado’s 90th-minute penalty adding some tension to the late drama. Sevilla have been largely overlooked in the title race but this result moved them just three points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, before Atletico played away at Athletic Bilbao later on Sunday. “We know it’s going to be difficult,” Ocampos said. “But if we didn’t believe we wouldn’t be playing football.” Victory also guarantees Sevilla a place in La Liga’s top four and qualification for the Champions League for a second season in a row. “The really important thing is Sevilla has achieved something historic,” said Lopetegui. “The effort of these players has been extraordinary.”