Skip to main content

Sevilla Defeat Liverpool In Europa Cup Final

 
sevilla defeat liverpool

Sevilla staged a remarkable second half comeback to blow Liverpool out of the water and claim their third successive Europa League, as Coke netted twice to seal a 3-1 victory in Basel.


Unai Emery's men, outplayed in the first half, responded with an emphatic second 45 minutes to leave Liverpool reeling and condemn Jurgen Klopp to a fifth-straight defeat in a major final.
Liverpool, who had dispatched Villarreal so impressively in the second leg of the semi-final, were the better side in the first half and deservedly took the lead when Daniel Sturridge curled in a superb finish from the edge of the area.
But Sevilla, who came from behind to beat Dnipro in last year's final, responded seconds after half-time with Kevin Gameiro's 29th goal of the season, before Coke capped a fine team move to put the holders ahead.
Klopp, whose side also lost the League Cup final to Manchester City in February, introduced Divock Origi in a bid to find a response but Coke struck a crucial blow 20 minutes from time, steering the ball beyond Simon Mignolet from close range despite Liverpool's appeals for offside.
Liverpool produced a memorable comeback against AC Milan to win their last European trophy in 2005, but there was to be no repeat of those Istanbul heroics as Sevilla became the first team to win Europe's secondary competition three years running and ensured a spot in next season's Champions League.
Sevilla started with more control in a cagey opening 10 minutes, although Emre Can brought the first save of the match out of David Soria with a low effort from the edge of the area.
Daniel Carrico made a timely intervention to hook Sturridge's header off the line as Liverpool began to look threatening on the break, and Roberto Firmino felt he should have earned a penalty when he diverted the ball into the arm of the Sevilla centre-back.
Gameiro got his first sight of goal, hooking a bicycle kick narrowly wide of the near post following a corner, but Sturridge produced a moment of magic to open the scoring 10 minutes before the break.
Philippe Coutinho found Sturridge on the edge of the area and the England striker bent a sublime finish beyond Soria with the outside of his left foot.
Lovren thought he had made it 2-0 with a towering header four minutes later, but the assistant referee flagged for offside after Sturridge had stuck out a foot to intercept the ball.

Sevilla Defeat Liverpool In Europa Cup Final

The Liga side would have been glad to go into the break just a goal behind but they produced a fine response just 17 seconds into the second half. Mariano skipped easily past the challenge of former Sevilla full-back Alberto Moreno and squared across goal for Gameiro, who tapped into an unguarded net.
Sevilla, suddenly buoyant, missed two great chances to take the lead through Gameiro before the hour mark. The Frenchman was first denied by a fine block tackle from Kolo Toure after racing in behind the Liverpool back line, before he scuffed a volley straight at Mignolet after Steven N'Zonzi's header found him completely unmarked six yards out.
Yet just as Sevilla looked as though they might rue those misses, Coke stepped up to put his side in control. A fine passing move involving Ever Banega and Vitolo saw Sevilla slice through the heart of Liverpool's midfield, and when the ball broke to Coke, he rifled a first-time shot into Mignolet's bottom-right corner.
And Coke put the holders on the brink of an historic win six minutes later, squeezing a shot in off Mignolet from the right of the six-yard box after the ball had deflected off Coutinho and into the Sevilla captain's path.
Liverpool pushed for a repeat of the dramatic comeback which saw them oust Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals, but Sevilla held on to lift the trophy in front of their vociferous supporters.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ronaldo And Messi Stats Shows Who's Best Of All Time

Bests of all time Victory in football's biggest tournament would play a huge role for either player's legacy, particularly in the long-term, and it looks incredibly likely that the 2018 edition will be the final attempt for both men. As a result, there was always going to keen interest in exactly how Ronaldo and Messi fare. And, well, three games in and their form is diametrically opposed. Ronaldo is in the running for the Golden Boot after scoring four goals in his opening two fixtures, including a stunning hat-trick against a hotly fancied Spain team. MESSI VS RONALDO DEBATE Meanwhile, Messi just found the back of the net in Russia only in his last outing vs Nigeria and missed a vital penalty in the 1-1 draw with Iceland. These developments led to a spike in support for Ronaldo to be considered the greatest of all time, with this summer exemplifying his brilliant form over the last few years. BALAGUE HAS SOME ANSWERS One of the most interesting tweets, t...

Vardy: It Was Easy To Reject Arenal Move

    Jamie Vardy says it was easy for him to reject a move to Arsenal, insisting both his head and his heart told him to stay at Leicester City. After playing a crucial role in last season's surprising Premier League title win, the England international was the subject of a bid from the Gunners which triggered his £22 million release clause. Instead, the striker opted to remain at the King Power Stadium and signed a new deal with the Foxes. And Vardy, 29, says it was an easy decision to make. “I was in a hotel room [in Chantilly] for so many hours of every day with nothing to do. You had a lot of time on your hands," he told The Guardian . “I am not going to beat around the bush – every time I thought about it, and every aspect of it I thought about, both my head and my heart were saying to stay at Leicester, which is why I made my decision to stay. “There were loads of reasons. You get that much time to think about, every single thing down to the tea lady. You think about w...

I Have Been Sacked Six Times By The Media - Louis Van Gaal

  Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has refused to discuss his future amid growing reports he will leave the club and be replaced by Jose Mourinho. When asked whether the FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace would be his final match in charge, he told a press conference: "I show you the cup. I don't discuss it with my friends in the media who already sack me for six months. "I do not want to talk about leaving." Source: Goal