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Sampaoli praises Sevilla's attacking mindset after Osasuna win

By Richard Martin BARCELONA (Reuters) - Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli hailed his players for embracing his attacking philosophy after they twice came from behind to win 4-3 at bottom club Osasuna and set a club record of 42 points for the first half of a La Liga season. The Argentine has revolutionised Sevilla's style of play in his first season in charge after succeeding triple Europa League winner Unai Emery, instilling an uncompromising attacking strategy and engineering an unlikely title charge. "The points record is very important for me because it fills us with hope for what's to come and it validates what we have been doing in the first half of the season," he told reporters. The victory keeps Sampaoli's side second in the league and breathing down the necks of Real Madrid, who top the standings by one point although they have a game in hand. Sergio Leon put Osasuna ahead in the 15th minute before Sevilla captain Vicente Iborra put through his own net after equalising, but the midfielder struck again at the right end before Franco Vazquez and Pablo Sarabia sealed victory. "On this difficult pitch there were clear signs that this team has an attacking mindset all the time and the number of points we have is because of our attack," added Sampaoli. "We created a lot of chances despite the state of the pitch and the fact our opponents had such high spirits and were so determined to win. They were ahead for a lot of the game and we still marauded all over their area." It was Sevilla's fourth win this season from a losing position and came without midfielders Samir Nasri and Vitolo. "Injuries are part of the game, Nasri couldn't travel but this squad has a lot of great players and we made up for his absence with our attitude. We got back into the game thanks to our bravery," Sampaoli said. (Reporting by Richard Martin; editing by Ken Ferris)