Europa League 2015 Results: Scores for Semi-Final Leg 1 Fixtures

Holders Sevilla took a big step toward the 2015 UEFA Europa League final as they beat Fiorentina 3-0 in a confident showing at the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in the first leg of their semi-final.

Elsewhere, Napoli face a major challenge in order to progress, as a determined Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk secured an impressive 1-1 draw at the San Paolo.

Here’s a recap of how the action played out in both games on a Thursday night of high-quality football in Europe’s second-tier competition.

Sevilla 3-0 Fiorentina

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Sevilla’s quest to win back-to-back Europa League titles is alive and kicking after a brace from Aleix Vidal and a late strike from substitute Kevin Gameiro pushed them to a dominant 3-0 win over Fiorentina.

It was actually La Viola who had the better of this affair in the opening stages. The team shared possession equally through Joaquin, Matias Fernandez and Mohamed Salah, and Fiorentina created the best openings. But the Serie A side squandered three clear opportunities in the opening period.

Miguel Angel Morenatti/Associated Press

By contrast, Sevilla were clinical in snaffling the one clear-cut opportunity they created. In the 17th minute, Carlos Bacca wriggled free in the box before laying off the ball to the rampaging Vidal, who finished superbly his first time into the corner.

After the break, a similar pattern continued, with Fiorentina probing well but failing to play with any incision when they made it into the final third. Once again, Sevilla made them pay, with Vidal getting his second of the night in the 52nd minute, bursting into box and slipping the ball past Norberto Neto at his near post.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

As noted by OptaJose, it was a landmark moment for the Spaniard:

Sevilla were swarming all over a clearly disheartened Fiorentina at this point, and after coming off the bench in the 75th minute, Kevin Gameiro was on the scoresheet just 26 seconds later, adding the finishing touches to Vidal's layoff inside the area.

It was a stunning impact, as noted here by WhoScored.com:

This was a fearsome performance from Sevilla. After staving off a vibrant Viola in the first period, they really moved through the gears in the second half, seizing on every error the visitors made with a remarkable ruthlessness.

Fiorentina have been superb in this tournament so far and are a formidable opponent on home soil. But with the Andalusians in this kind of form, it's extremely difficult to see any kind of turnaround in this tie.

Napoli 1-1 Dnipro

Getty Images/Getty Images

Dnipro held Napoli to a frustrating draw at home. David Lopez gave the hosts the lead early in the second half, but the Ukrainians—who defended magnificently throughout—snatched a crucial away goal through substitute Yevhen Seleznyov late on.

Of the four teams remaining in this competition, Dnipro are probably the least fancied team. But before a baying San Paolo crowd, they showcased the steel that has helped them get to this stage, frustrating their more illustrious opponents with some excellent work at the back.

As we can see below courtesy of Squawka, although Napoli dominated the ball, there was no way through for Rafael Benitez’s men in the first half:

However, their resistance wasn’t to last much longer. The manner of the goal would have frustrated Dnipro boss Myron Markevych too, as Lopez rose highest from a corner to head home in the 50th minute, giving him his first-ever goal for the club.

While it was a little harsh on the visitors, it was a goal Napoli deserved on the overall balance of play. But through Yevhen Konoplyanka, the Ukrainians always presented a dangerous threat on the counter-attack.

Salvatore Laporta/Associated Press

As noted here by Ben Gladwell of UEFA, the home fans were feeling a little tense despite their overwhelming share of the ball:

With good reason too, it would seem. And just like in the aforementioned game, it was a substitute making an immediate impact, as Seleznyov turned home a dangerous cross with his first touch. With the away goal secured, suddenly the dynamic of the tie had completely shifted.

Napoli piled on the pressure in the latter stages of the game, looking for a winning goal, but Dnipro held firm and will be delighted to have an away goal to take back to Ukraine.

Markevych admitted his team wasn't in top form after the match, but he still believes in his club, per Forza Italian Football: “No doubt, Napoli played better, but we have a good chance in the return leg. We could not play how we wanted and the difficult game is yet to come—[Gonzalo] Higuain should have scored more goals and we were lucky.”

For Napoli, it's going to be a big task. But after heavily winning away at Wolfsburg in the previous round, they should be confident of going to Dnipro and getting the result required to progress to the Warsaw final.