Sevilla strike back to claim valuable draw in Ukraine

Sevilla FC weathered a storm to come away from the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie against Shakhtar Donetsk with a 2-2 draw. Although the Ukrainians turned things around to get their noses in front after Vitolo's early opener, the Andalusians themselves bounced back to level matters in the final 10 minutes.

The match could hardly have got off to a better start for the Spanish outfit. With just six minutes on the clock, Vitolo put Unai Emery's side ahead following a great move. Ever Banega fed Kevin Gameiro with a fine pass, the Frenchman slid in Vitolo and the Canary Islander coolly stuck the ball through goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov's legs after cutting inside a defender.

Despite finding themselves trailing so early on, the home team did not let their heads drop and soon took charge of the game. Mircea Lucescu's men began to pose real problems for the Sevilla backline and got the breakthrough in the 23rd minute, Marlos finishing with aplomb past David Soria to restore parity. Shakhtar's onslaught did not end there and on 35 minutes, Marlos turned provider, whipping in a cross from which Taras Stepanenko bulleted home a header to make it 2-1.

Whatever Emery said at half-time, his team talk did the trick as Seville perked back up after the interval, playing with more intent and conviction. A flurry of chances followed, with Daniel Carriço, Steven N'Zonzi and Gameiro all trying their luck in vain, but it seemed that an equaliser would prove elusive until Vitolo won a penalty in the 80th minute after some more nifty footwork in the box.

All eyes were on Gameiro, something of a specialist from 12 yards, as the French forward stepped up to the plate. He duly beat Pyatov with a powerfully struck spot-kick right down the middle, securing a 2-2 draw that is worth its weight in gold to the defending champions Sevilla, who are looking for a third consecutive Europa League triumph.