Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Sevilla: Score, Reaction from 2016 Europa League Semi-Final
Sevilla and Shakhtar Donetsk played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final encounter in Ukraine on Thursday.
Vitolo gave the visitors an early lead, but Shakhtar bounced back well and tied things up through Marlos. A defensive error gave the hosts the lead, with Taras Stepanenko putting his team ahead before half-time.
Both teams had their chances after the break, but it was Kevin Gameiro who put the defending champions in the driver's seat from the penalty spot. Sevilla will host Shakhtar in one week, holding the away-goal advantage.
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As shared by Sevilla’s official Twitter account, the visitors kept star midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli and defender Coke on the bench:
Per WhoScored.com, Sevilla’s recent away form was anything but impressive:
The visitors started with plenty of attacking intentions, getting forward early and putting real pressure on Shakhtar. Yevhen Konoplyanka nearly picked out Mariano with an early cross, and the hosts had to deal with an early corner after another fine ball in.
Vitolo opened the score after just six minutes, as Sevilla executed a perfect counter-attack, which ended with the winger cutting inside and sending a shot through goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov’s legs.
Here’s a look at the strike:
Shakhtar tried to respond immediately, but Sevilla dug in and defended their half with numbers, limiting the hosts’ looks in the attacking third. Possession was nearly all Shakhtar, but it didn’t lead to lots of chances.
Grzegorz Krychowiak nearly picked out Konoplyanka when Sevilla tried to counter, and Taison had similar luck looking for Facundo Ferreyra. Mariano’s cross was heavy and missed Gameiro, and Daniel Carrico made a vital clearance before Ferreyra was able to strike.
Marlos tried his luck from distance but barely troubled goalkeeper David Soria, and Konoplyanka had to make a last-ditch tackle after Darijo Srna was given far too much space to advance. Shakhtar were in full control, and an equaliser seemed inevitable.
It was Marlos who pulled his side level, taking advantage of some lazy defending by sprinting into the area unmarked. Soria tried to come off his line and deny the forward but to no avail.
David Cartlidge of BeIN Sports USA was impressed by what he saw from Marlos:
Sevilla were shell-shocked and could barely work the ball out of their own half, as Shakhtar pushed for the lead. Taison nearly found the net with a shot from 25 yards out, firing his effort inches wide.
Marlos could have tried his luck himself after another smart run, but instead of shooting from a tricky angle, he played in Ismaily, whose shot was blocked at the last second.
Steven N’Zonzi struggled dealing with Shakhtar’s high press and gave away possession on a few occasions, and he was nearly punished for it after 34 minutes, as a quick counter saw Taison’s shot go out for a corner.
The resulting set piece was poorly defended by Sevilla, and Stepanenko found himself wide open at the near post, powering home a header to hand his side the lead. Per AS English, Sevilla manager Unai Emery was furious:
"Taras Stepanenko fires the home side ahead in Lviv with a bullet header.
— AS English (@English_AS) April 28, 2016"
Emery fuming on the Sevilla bench.
Shakhtar 2-1 Sevilla #UEL
A last-ditch tackle from Carrico prevented Ferreyra from adding a third goal before half-time, and once again, it was Marlos who set up the chance with a great dribble. The final chance of the half fell to the visitors, but Konoplyanka’s cross failed to beat Pyatov, with Gameiro ready to pounce if the goalkeeper made a mistake.
Sevilla started the second half well, but Adil Rami nearly gifted the hosts another goal, playing a risky lofted pass at the back that fell to Stepanenko. Fortunately for the defender, his shot went wide.
Shakhtar aimed for the counter after the break, giving N'Zonzi a chance to improve on his poor first half with a handful of key interceptions. On the other side of the pitch, Pyatov let a routine save slip, but fortunately for the stopper, the ball rolled wide of his goal.
N'Zonzi powered a header just wide before Shakhtar claimed a penalty, as Taison's cross hit Rami in the arm. The contact seemed incidental, however, and the official was unmoved.
Substitute Krohn-Dehli tested Pyatov from distance but couldn't get a good angle on the ball, and Marlos curled a shot wide of the mark, as chances continued to fall to both teams.
Krohn-Dehli's night came to an early end, as the Dane suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury after 70 minutes.
Sports broadcaster Jim White noticed the home fans were remarkably respectful while the midfielder received treatment:
Gameiro thought he had scored the equaliser with 14 minutes left on the clock, but his effort was ruled out for offside, and replays showed the decision was a harsh one, as the Frenchman appeared to be exactly in line with the last defender.
He missed a massive chance minutes later, wildly blasting over after a great pass from Ever Banega. Shakhtar were suddenly clinging on for dear life, as Vitolo somehow failed to push the ball into goal from a few yards out. Sevilla pushed forward, and two minutes later, the winger was caught by Ferreyra inside the box, earning his team a penalty.
Gameiro, who had endured a difficult and frustrating night up until that point, sent Pyatov the other way to hand his side a second away goal.
Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse thought it was a massive goal for Sevilla:
Sevilla nearly added a third, with Banega seeing his shot deflected for a corner, and the Spaniards ended the match on top. With two away goals under their belts, they'll like their chances of making the final for the third year in a row.
The two teams will meet again in Seville on Thursday, May 5.
Post-Match Reaction
Per FC Shakhtar English, Ukrainian manager Mircea Lucescu thought the final score reflected what happened on the pitch, and he thought his team made too many errors:
Shakhtar have played well away from home this season, and even their home matches haven't exactly been that, as they haven't been able to use their own Donbass Arena and instead play at the Arena Lviv, which is several hundred miles away.
Conceding two away goals is a setback, but Shakhtar haven't been reliant on their homefield advantage all season long, and they dominated Sevilla for large stretches of the match. Athletic Bilbao found a way to pressure the Andalusians at their own ground, and Shakhtar should be able to do the same.
