Sevilla 2-0 Roma
Five-time winners Sevilla are through to the quarter-finals of the 2020 Europa League after a first-half blitz blew Serie A’s Roma away.
Europa League: Sevilla vs Roma was a single-leg tie, and that’s what made it a tense affair in the run up, but Los Sevillanos’ explosive first 45 minutes certainly settled their nerves while giving Roma plenty to think about in the half time break.
Diego Perotti put in a man-of-the-match performance in Roma’s 3-1 victory over Juventus last week but he started on the bench tonight as Paulo Fonseca rang the changes, and it just didn’t work for the Roma boss as his side failed to make any inroads in the second half.
Highlights of the game
They weren’t at their home in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but the way Sevilla played in the first half you’d have thought there are 40,000 fans roaring them on. Roma keeper Pau Lopez was in action in the opening minutes to save a long-range effort from Lucas Ocampos, and that set the tone for the first half.
Sevilla’s midfield enforcer Ever Banega set up Youssef En-Nesryi with a chance on the right side of the box but he fired his shot inches wide of the post, and then, with 12 minutes on the clock Jules Kounde rose to meet a Banega corner only to see his header crash back off the crossbar.
Roma seemed to be suffering a hangover from their victory over Juventus as En Nesryi met a cross from Suso and headed narrowly wide, but they were eventually punished on 21 minutes. Banega was involved again, passing to Sergio Reguilon who fired home to give the Spaniards the opening goal.
Ocampos has had a brilliant first season at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and he is sure to feature in the Sevilla vs Roma highlights package, making his mark in the move that brought Sevilla a second goal just before half time. As Los Sevillanos broke at pace Ocampos put the killer pass on a plate for En-Nesyri to get the goal his first-half industry deserved, and his sixth in this Europa League campaign.
Fonseca had work to do during the break and his words seemed to inspire his team as they started the second half much better. As Roma’s top scorer in Serie A, bagging 16 goals this season, Edin Dzeko has shouldered the scoring responsibility for his team-mates and he was back in action tonight with the captain’s armband. He almost created a goal, setting up Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but his shot flew narrowly wide of the right-hand post. Then Dzeko himself tested Yassine Bounou when he met a cross from Aleksander Kolarov but the Sevilla keeper saved well low to his left.
Ocampos stretched Lopez again with a fierce shot after more good work from Banega, and the keeper saved low in the bottom left corner, but shortly afterwards he could only watch as an Ocampos’ shot flew inches past the top right corner.
At the other end, Dzeko latched onto a ball from Lorenzo Pellegrini but his shot flew past the top right corner, as time began to run out for I Giallorossi. The Roma skipper kept plugging away but could only head over the bar when he met a cross from Leonardo Spinazzola.
Key statistics
The Sevilla vs Roma betting odds had the Spaniards as favourites, at odds of 2.10, and Julen Lopetegui’s team was good value for its win.
Sevilla completely outplayed I Giallorossi in a one-sided first half, dominating possession and having eight shots to one, with three on target while their own keeper Yassine Bounou was a spectator. Roma made a better showing in the second half, registering seven shots to Sevilla’s 16, but only one on target to their victors’ seven.
The defeat ends Roma’s eight-match unbeaten run, while Sevilla have now gone 18 games without a loss.
What’s next?
Roma needed to win this tie to keep their Champions League hopes alive but they just weren’t at the races tonight, so it’s Sevilla who will play the winners of the clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Olympiakos later this evening; keep it here at SBOBET for the report on that clash.
The domestic seasons are due to start again within a few weeks, and these two teams will be fighting it out at the top end of their leagues, that’s for sure.
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