Sevilla loses again under new coach Montella

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Sevilla's winless streak reached five straight rounds after losing at Alaves 1-0 in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Manu Garcia scored Alaves' winner in the 52nd minute when the midfielder controlled a pass after a poorly cleared corner kick and struck the ball into the far side of the net.

It was Sevilla's second consecutive loss in the league under Vincenzo Montella, the Italian coach who replaced the fired Eduardo Berizzo late last month.

The team has not improved under the former AC Milan manager, other than advancing to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

Sevilla was left in sixth place after Villarreal moved ahead in the standings on Saturday.

Sevilla's best chance to score at Alaves came in the 82nd when Manuel "Nolito" Agudo fired wide from close range.

"It's an ugly feeling because we lost again," Nolito said. "I don't know what to say. We just have to keep going forward to turn this around. All of us, the players, coaches, staff, we need to stick together."

While Sevilla continued to struggle despite the coaching change, Alaves won its fourth match in six rounds since the arrival of manager Abelardo Fernandez in early December.

Alaves moved out of the relegation zone, pushing Deportivo La Coruna into the bottom three of the 20-team league.

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