Sevilla were always fighting a losing battle after Andres Palop's mistake allowed Matheus to score the deadly away goal for Braga in the Champions League play-off on Tuesday.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg after another error from experienced goalkeeper Palop, Sevilla could ill afford to concede. They went on to lose 4-3 (Lima scoring a hat-trick for the visitors) at home to last season's Portuguese runners-up who will now take their place in the Champions League group stages.
The Sanchez Pizjuan was half-empty by the time Frederic Kanoute headed Sevilla's third in stoppage time. The Sevilla fans are a demanding lot and did not look enamored by the prospect of following their club in the Europa League this season (the runners-up prize for losing in the final qualifying round of the Champions League).
World Cup winner Jesus Navas was one of the only Sevilla players to impress on Tuesday, although youngster Jose Carlos caught the eye after coming off the bench.
Sevilla have been one of the most exciting sides to watch in Europe over the last few years but fans grew frustrated with the more conservative style under Manolo Jimenez last season and he ultimately paid for that approach and poor results when he was sacked in March.
The Andalusians remain deadly on the counterattack and, alongside Atletico Madrid, look the team most likely to challenge the Barcelona-Real Madrid hegemony this season. But on Tuesday Antonio Alvarez's side came up against a team happy to sit back and pick them off, as double UEFA Cup winners Sevilla have done to many teams over the last few years.
Ultimately their failure to score in Portugal cost them dear and Sevilla will go down as one of the biggest casualties of the Champions League qualifiers in recent years.
Credit to Braga, the oldest city in Portugal. They look a streetwise outfit who, packed with Brazilian players, also disposed of Celtic in the last round and deserve their place in the group stages.
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