News
THU 05.05.2016
Gameiro, the smartest of the bunch
The first few minutes of the game were evenly matched. Until Kevin Gameiro popped up once again, that was. The Sevilla FC hit man capitalised on a defensive lapse by Shakhtar Donetsk in the ninth minute and fired the ball home with only the keeper to beat.
Sevilla go on the counter
With the score at 1-0, Unai Emery's charges dropped back and Shakhtar started to dominate the ball. Sevilla tried to use the pace of Vitolo and Gameiro on the counter to find a second. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians started to put pressure on David Soria's goal, but were not rewarded for their efforts.
Eduardo throws a spanner in the works
Shakhtar levelled the tie at the worst possible time for Sevilla, with just one minute left to go before the end of the first half. The Brazilian Eduardo was one of their most outstanding performers. He got on the end of a fantastic pass between the lines and put the ball under Soria, meaning that the teams headed in for the break with the scores level.
Gameiro on cue again
Whilst Shakhtar's goal was a psychological blow, Sevilla's next packed an even greater punch. The Spanish side stepped things up a gear when they returned from the dressing room. They weren't looking to drag this out. Gameiro struck as soon as the second half got underway. The Frenchman is on flying form. Nothing new there. This time he rounded the opposing keeper and put his team back in the ascendency. It was his seventh goal in the competition, and he dedicated the strike to Michael Krohn-Deli, who was injured in the first leg.
A Mariano screamer seals it
The Sevilla player put an end to Shakhtar's hopes of a comeback. On 60 minutes, the Brazilian pulled an absolutely brilliant strike out of his sleeve. There was nothing the Ukrainian side's goalkeeper could do to stop his thunderous far-post drive from outside the area.
© LALIGA - 2016