Celta Vigo vs. Sevilla: 2016 Copa del Rey Semi-Final, Leg 2 Score and Reaction
Celta Vigo couldn't complete an improbable comeback during the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Sevilla, drawing 2-2 at home to lose the tie 6-2 on aggregate.
Sevilla entered the second leg with a four-goal lead and knew they would qualify for the final, barring a meltdown for the ages.
Iago Aspas gave the hosts the lead in the first half and had them dreaming of an upset with another goal early in the second, but Ever Banega removed any doubt over who the finalists would be shortly after. John Guidetti missed a penalty in the second half, and Yevhen Konoplyanka put the final score on the board just before the final whistle.
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As shared by AS English, the hosts were still without star forward Nolito, making their bid to stage a comeback for the ages that much harder:
Meanwhile, the visitors knew their recent record in Galicia indicated they couldn't rest too easy, despite their healthy lead, via WhoScored.com:
Predictably, Sevilla manager Unai Emery instructed his troops to sit back and absorb the pressure, as Celta pushed for an early goal. Sevilla looked dangerous on the counter-attack, and the first real chance of the match fell to Michael Krohn-Dehli, who found the side netting with a shot.
Kevin Gameiro was the lone striker for Sevilla and spent much of the first half chasing after balls, as the visitors barely broke out of their own half unless they could run with numbers.
Guidetti fired Celta's first chance over the crossbar, although the linesman raised his flag and took away the opportunity before the Swede had a chance to strike. He then nearly found Aspas at the far post, but his pass was fired in just a little too hard.
Chances were few in the first half, as Sevilla continued to close their lines, and Guidetti didn't help matters by wandering offside seemingly every time the ball was worked his way. Aspas was the main danger man for Celta throughout the half, first forcing Sergio Rico into a tricky save before opening the score.
A quick counter-attack eventually fell to the winger, who reached the ball before the Sevilla stopper and gave the home fans a glimmer of hope. ESPN FC's Lee Roden thought it was a great finish:
AS English wondered whether the comeback was on:
Celta needed to capitalise on their momentum and force a second goal before half-time, but instead the best chances fell to Sevilla as Vicente Iborra twice came close to tying things up.
The visitors knew they had to play with a little more positivity and committed more men forward early in the second half, but it nearly led to disaster, as Aspas seemed to double his tally after just five minutes. Once again, the linesman had raised his flag, however.
The Spaniard didn't let the setback get the better of him and made it 2-0 five minutes later, heading home a rebound after Rico made a nice save. Spanish football expert Sid Lowe started to believe in the comeback as well:
But just as it looked like Celta Vigo had a chance of bridging the gap, Banega scored a fantastic goal from the edge of the box that killed off any hopes the Galicians had, per Sportskeeda's Aldo Sainati:
Fans barely had time to catch their breath before even more drama arrived, as Rico interfered with Guidetti inside the box, causing the official to blow his whistle for a penalty. The Swede lined up to take the spot-kick himself, only to strike the outside of the post.
The missed penalty seemed to bury Celta's hopes even further, and while the hosts continued to push forward, they did so without the conviction that drove them during the first half.
Banega fired a shot over the bar and Fabian Orellana also came close to adding to the scoring, curling a shot past the wrong side of the post. Gameiro finally got a look on goal after 80 minutes, but he couldn't get past Celta goalkeeper Ruben Blanco.
Aspas troubled Rico with one more shot from distance, but Celta did little to trouble the Sevilla stopper in the final 10 minutes. The Galicians couldn't even hold on to the lead, as Konoplyanka scored an equaliser three minutes before the final whistle.
Sevilla will have to be at their best to beat defending champions Barcelona in the final, but Emery's men can play the type of ugly, counter-attacking football that has frustrated the Catalans on plenty of occasions in the past.
The UEFA Europa League holders certainly don't lack speed or talent in the attacking third, and this year's final of the Copa del Rey should represent an interesting clash of styles.
Post-Match Reaction
Per La Liga writer Colin Millar, Sevilla manager Emery has already made it clear he doesn't want the final of the Copa del Rey to be played at Barcelona's Camp Nou. Asked by a reporter about the possibility of playing at the iconic venue: he answered: "I would rather it was played in China."
