Dnipro to face Holders Sevilla in UEFA Europa League final

Ukrainian side FC Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk eliminated Italian giants Napoli to set up a final with holders and three-time winners Sevilla FC in the National Stadium Warsaw.

Dnipro started the game with a slender advantage over Napoli heading back to Kiev thanks to an away goal they scored late to secure a 1-1 draw in Naples.

Their 1-0 home win was enough to see them through the semifinal tie to the final.

Striker Yevhen Seleznyov 58^th minute header was the only goal of the night which ended Rafael Benitez’s side’s 10-game unbeaten run in the competition and seal a 2-1 aggregate win.

Though  Seleznyoy scored the goal that enabled his team reach the final, it was goalkeeper Denys Boyko who was superb in goal denying the tournament’s top scorers to get back in the game.

Boyko made exceptional save s on the night keeping out the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon, Christian Maggio, Marek Hamsik and Dries Mertens from scoring.

Meanwhile holders Sevilla eased into a second consecutive Europa League final with a 2-0 win against Fiorentina to secure a convincing 5-0 aggregate path to the final.

Sevilla came into the second leg with a 3-0 first-leg win and had an advantage of qualifying through the semifinal tie.

Unai Emery’s side made it impossible for Florence side to come back into the tie after Carlos Bacca and Daniel Carriço scored 2 first-half goals to ensure the tie was put to bed.

Fiorentina’s fans at the Stadio Comunale Artemio Franchi in Florence kept cheering their team in the second half but were left disappointed when Josip Ilicic failed to score from the spot kick which they got after Sevilla defender Grzegorz Krychowiak had fouled David Pizarro in the penalty area.

The game ended 2-0 with Sevilla set to play first-time finalists FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on Wednesday 27 May at the National Stadium Warsaw.

Match background
• These sides have never before met in UEFA competition.
• Dnipro‘s record v Spanish clubs: P1 W0 D0 L1 F2 A1
• Sevilla‘s record v Ukrainian clubs: P4 W3 D1 L0 F9 A5

Key facts

European final pedigree – Dnipro: W0 L0, Sevilla: W3 L0
• Sevilla are bidding to become the first team to land the trophy four times. They are currently alongside Juventus, FC Internazionale Milano and Liverpool FC on three victories.
• Sevilla‘s Unai Emery is seeking to become only the fifth coach to claim the trophy twice or more after Giovanni Trapattoni (Juventus in 1977 and 1993, Internazionale in 1991), Luis Molowny (Real Madrid CF in 1985, 1986), Juande Ramos (Sevilla in 2006, 2007) and Rafael Benítez (Valencia CF in 2004, Chelsea FC in 2013)
• This will be Dnipro‘s first UEFA competition final: they had never advanced beyond the quarter-finals before this season.

Source: UEFA.COM