Juventus missed a chance to play the Europa League final at
home after Portuguese club Benfica eliminated them 2-1 on
aggregate following a 0-0 draw in the second leg. Sevilla
snatched a place in the final when a 94th-minute Stephane Mbia
header put them through on away goals after their semi-final tie
against Valencia ended 3-3 on aggregate on Thursday. Despite
going down 3-1 at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, Mbia’s dramatic
late goal set up a final showdown with Benfica on May 14.
Sevilla were favourites to advance against their La Liga rivals after
winning last week’s first leg 2-0 at home but a 14th-minute
Sofiane Feghouli strike, an own goal from goalkeeper Beto in the
26th and a Jeremy Mathieu effort 21 minutes from time put
Valencia 3-0 ahead on the night and 3-2 ahead overall.
They were just over a minute away from going through when
Federico Fazio flicked on a long throw and Mbia rose to crash a
header into the net and silence the Valencia fans.
Dream 52 years in making
Benfica kept alive their dream of a first European trophy in 52
years after a goalless draw with Juventus in Turin on Thursday.
Jorge Jesus’s side restricted the Serie A leaders to a handful of
chances, despite having to play for 23 minutes of the second leg
clash with 10 men after Enzo Perez was sent off.
The away side gave Juve a scare two minutes after the break when
Rodrigo ballooned the ball over the bar from close range and
with the goal at his mercy.
Perez was sent off after receiving a second booking for a silly
foul on Arturo Vidal and his dismissal encouraged Juve to push
forward. The home fans were celebrating with nine minutes
remaining when Osvaldo tapped home Paul Pogba’s headed
knockdown, but their joy was short-lived, with officials correctly
ruling Frenchman Pogba offside.
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