Sevilla are the first team to secure a spot in this season’s Europa League final following their 2-1 defeat of Manchester United on Sunday night.
The game, which took place at the neutral RheinEnergieStadion, got off to a dramatic start, with Sevilla’s Diego Carlos fouling Marcus Rashford inside the box to hand the Red Devils a ninth-minute penalty. Bruno Fernandez showed no signs of wavering as he put the Premier League giants in the lead.
Sevilla did well to bite back, however, as Suso bested David de Gea to hand the La Liga outfit a 26th-minute equalizer. While Man Utd came out swinging after the half time break, Sevilla’s defense remained resolute as goalkeeper Yassine Bounou denied Anthony Martial & Co on several occasions.
At the other end of the pitch, the Red Devils were once again punished for their defensive flaws, when Luuk de Jong swept home a cross from Jesus Navas to restore Sevilla’s lead with 12 minutes left to play. 2-1 it ended as Manchester United continued to be denied by Sevilla’s unwavering defense.
Sevilla has won five Europa League trophies; the most for any side. Notably, the Spanish team won three consecutive tournaments from 2014 to 2016. Sevilla will face either Inter Milan or Shakhtar Donetsk in the final on Friday night.
