Sevilla needed to find consolation in the beloved Europa League for their delicate league situation. On the verge of the relegation places in the domestic championship, only that competition that has won up to six times can generate some illusion among the parish of Nervión, immersed in a season to be forgotten. Against Fenerbahçe, the Seville team at least recovered the path of victory and struck first in the search for a place in the quarterfinals.
And that the first part had an impact on the Sevilla concern. The Turkish team was better and deserved an advantage that only their lack of aim and Dmitrovic’s safety prevented. Another thing was the second act, with a better version in the Sampaoli team. The Argentine fixed his bad initial approach with a more offensive proposal and the prize was the goals from Joan Jordán and Lamela that Sevilla must defend in Istanbul to continue dreaming of the seventh crown and see the light of day in a bad campaign.
The start was strange for Sevilla. The weak entry into Sánchez Pizjuán and defensive doubts did not help, a constant that makes the parish of Nervión always live on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Gris staging from Seville against a Fenerbehçe that made merits to get ahead. Ecuadorian Enner Valencia, a World Cup sensation, was a headache for Sampaoli’s team. Together with Joshua King, he created the feeling that the Turkish goal could fall at any moment and had an impact on Sevilla’s critical moment.
Sevilla
Dmitrovic, Navas, Nianzou, Gudelj, Telles (Joan Jordán, min. 46), Acuña (Suso, min. 86), Fernando, Rakitic, Óliver Torres (Ocampos, min. 69), En-Nesyri (Rafa Mir, min. 86) and Bryan Gil (Lamela, min. 69).
2
–
0
Fenerbahce
Bayindir, Kadioglu, Aziz, Akaydin, Szalai, Kahveci (Roses, min. 86), Arao, Crespo (Rossi, min. 67), Lincoln (Osayi-Samuel, min. 82), King (Batshuayi, min. 67) y Enner Valencia (Joao Pedro, min. 82).
Goals:
1-0: min. 56, Joan Jordan. 2-0: min. 85, lamella.Referee:
Francois Letexier (France). He booked Telles, Bryan Gil and Kadioglu.Incidences:
First leg of the Europa League round of 16 played at the Sánchez Pizjuán.
The best local man was goalkeeper Dmitrovic, practically alone in the danger of Fenerbahçe’s long passes. It was enough for the Istanbul team to exploit the speed of their attackers to sow panic in the fragile Sevilla, today a paper team. Nor was there much reason for optimism in attack, with goalkeeper Bayindir hardly out of work. The truth is that at halftime the best news was the goalless tie, as King once again had the foreign advantage with an unopposed header that went high.
rudder turn
The break calmed the storm unleashed in a crowd fed up with the shipwrecks of his team this season and Sampaoli corrected his failed plan and turned the helm with Joan Jordán instead of Telles. The Argentine recomposed his approach with a defense of four and more midfielders to take control. It turned out and Sevilla began to take the helm and threaten with the side centers and especially with a header from Nianzou to which Bayindir responded as best he could. The French central defender threatened but the one who hit was Jordán himself, who was fortunate to deflect the shot from him by a Turkish defender and put his team ahead as a real shock.
The advantage was already more reassuring, but Sampaoli reinforced his offensive bet with Ocampos and Lamela, who first pardoned after a great run by Navas down the right lane and then hit the mark, this time with a dry and unappealable shot from a pass from Rakitic. Sevilla will have to finish off the job in Istanbul, but they have already taken the first step towards the quarterfinals and confirmed once again that the Europa League always seems willing to give comfort to the king of the competition.
