(Football news) Europa League linchpins Sevilla again marked an extremely tough comeback as they have reached yet another final courtesy of substitute Erik Lamela who scored with a fabulous header five minutes into extra time over Juventus. The 6 time winner secured a 3-2 aggregate victory as the Spanish club will look to win their record-extending seventh Europa League title when they face AS Roma in the final in Budapest on May 31.
Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw by Sevilla in the first leg at Turin but they looked on course to reach the final when Dusan Vlahovic scored with a chip finish over Bono in the 65th minute at a But former AC Milan midfielder Suso levelled the contest six minutes later with a brilliant long-range strike to take the game into extra time. In extra time, Lamela made sure Sevilla were heading towards their 7th Europa League final as he leapt the highest for a towering header into the net..
It was yet another magical night in Seville as the Europa League kings worked their magic yet again after a difficult season. They were Languishing in the relegation zone of the LaLiga standings for a large part of a season as a result of which two managers were fired but Sevilla somehow rediscovered their mojo after exiting the Champions League where they beat the likes of PSV Eindhoven, Fenerbahce and Manchester United before defeating Juve.
Sevilla dominated possession from the get go on Thursday as the raucous atmosphere at a sold-out Sanchez Pizjuan stadium energised the players even more. Wojciech Szczesny was again the best player on the field in the first half, making several saves including a brilliant one-hand stop to keep club captain Navas’ diving header out of the goal from close. The hosts were in full control and were guilty of missing chances as Dusan Vlahovic against the run of play scored the opener three minutes after coming off the bench.
He ran at his international teammate Nemanja Gudelj and Loic Bade, who hesitated for a second yellow which subsequently allowed Vlahovic to win the challenge and beat goalkeeper Bono with a dinked finish. Sevilla hit back soon as Suso’s stunning strike whistled into the top corner. The Seville crowd roared their team to put more relentless pressure on Juve until Lamela scored the winner five minutes into extra time. The negative from that performance is that left back Marcos Acuna was sent off in extra time for time wasting after a second yellow card and will miss the final.
“This is madness, incredible, it’s time to enjoy this amazing moment,” Sevilla captain Jesus Navas told Movistar Plus. “The fans have been incredible and they deserve everything. We have shown the courage we have inside of us to recover after going through some rough months.
“The courage of the fans has carried us and we are here again in another European final. It’s been my team since I was a kid, living every game with so much passion. It’s our turn to enjoy.”
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