Lopetegui already seemed to know what was in store for him in a defeat to Dortmund. Immediately after the game against the Germans, which was largely lost, he thanked the audience in the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in Seville. The supporters of the red and white reacted with a big round of applause towards their trainer.
The former manager of FC Porto, the Spanish national team and Real Madrid, had a successful period at Sevilla. Lopetegui has played 170 games for the Spanish club, finishing in the top 4 in three of his four seasons and winning the Europa League in 2020 by beating Inter in the final.
This season, however, it did not go well at Sevilla. The club has only won once this season and is just one point above the relegation zone. In the Champions League, the team also took only one point, visiting FC Copenhagen.
Lopetegui is not the first coach to be sacked after a Champions League defeat this season. Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea) and Domenico Tedesco (RB Leipzig) also received their conge.