Sevilla booked their place in the semi-finals of the Europa League with a slender 1-0 victory over Wolves on Tuesday night.
The English outfit spurned a glorious chance to open the scoring early on in the opening period, but Raul Jimenez’s penalty was comfortably saved by Yassine Bounou. Julen Lopetegui’s side then made Wolves pay in the closing stages as Lucas Ocampos headed home to gift Sevilla progression into the last four following a tense affair.
Let’s get into some player ratings!
Rui Patricio (GK) – 7/10 – Couldn’t have done anything with the goal and showed off impressive glove work with shots from distance. Rarely tested from inside the area.
Matt Doherty (RWB) – 7/10 – Covered the surges of Reguilon diligently and passed on inward movement of Ocampos cleverly. Examples of fantastic back-post recovering in first-half from fierce Navas deliveries. Unable to offer a threat going the other way, though.
Willy Boly (CB) – 8/10 – Dealt with the crossing threat of Sevilla superbly through supreme aerial ability. Wolves’ standout centre-half.
Conor Coady (CB) – 6/10 – Read the game nicely throughout but had a pretty simple task as central centre-back in remarkably deep defensive line.
Romain Saiss (CB) – 5/10 – Reckless with a challenge on Suso which saw him booked early in the second period and looked the most vulnerable piece in a stout Wolves back five. Caught out by some smart Ocampos movement just after his booking which led to a promising opening for the Spaniards.
Ruben Vinagre (LWB) – 7/10 – Dynamic and offered plenty of thrust going forward when given the licence to roam. Wriggled smartly out of tight spaces with sharp footwork and had difficult duel-threat to contend with down Sevilla’s right.
Leander Dendoncker (CM) – 6/10 – Impressive with the tough role handed to him by Nuno; was able to offer a threat in both boxes and performed defensive function diligently.
Ruben Neves (CM) – 6/10 – Struggled to get a foothold in proceedings as he so often does – with Nuno’s remarkably deep defensive line certainly not helping – but performed defensive duties in Wolves’ low block astutely.
Joao Moutinho (CM) – 6/10 – A quiet evening for the classy Portugal international. Struggled to supply his front two in the limited opportunities granted to him but like his midfield partners, did a fine job positionally and out of possession overall.
Adama Traore (ST) – 6/10 – The destructive Spaniard has been utilised as part of a strike duo with mixed success thus far, but after he burst in behind Diego Carlos with frightening ease before winning his side a penalty in the opening stages, it looked like the return to the experiment would pay off. It wasn’t to be, however, and he switched to the right flank with 20 minutes remaining before being hauled off with ten to go.
Raul Jimenez (ST) – 5/10 – Looked bright early amid poor penalty miss. Rarely got a chance against Sevilla’s two impressive centre-halves with Wolves struggling to support their front two in transition before their switch to a 3-4-3.
Pedro Neto – 6/10
Diogo Jota – 5/10
Yassine Bounou (GK) – 7/10 – Saved comfortably from Jimenez’s spot-kick which kept the score at 0-0 early and was his only contribution of any note.
Jesus Navas (RB) – 7/10 – Supplied plenty of crosses which forced Boly and Doherty into last-ditch defensive work. Caused problems with forays into final third. Little to write home about defensively.
Jules Kounde (CB) – 8/10 – Often matched-up one-v-one with Raul Jimenez and there’s no doubting the exciting 21-year-old came out on top. Showed impressive recovery speed, athleticism and composed one-v-one defending throughout. Dominant.
Diego Carlos (CB) – 7/10 – Early struggles against Adama emphasised by his reckless penalty giveaway which he, fortunately, got away with. Showed class as the game wore on.
Sergio Reguilon (LB) – 5/10 – The typically impressive Spaniard didn’t have much of a say in this one at all.
Fernando (DM) – 7/10 – Played an underrated role at the base of midfield. Dropped into the back three when his side attempted to build-up to aid progression and facilitate the advanced movement of full-backs. Astute positioning ensured protection against transitions.
Joan Jordan (CM) – 7/10 – Undoubtedly the unsung hero in this Sevilla side. Provided plenty of dynamism from midfield with surges from deeper positions and was tidy circulating possession.
Ever Banega (CM) – 8/10 – The metronome in Julen Lopetegui’s side and he dictated the majority of the contest. A commanding display rewarded with the assist for Ocampos’ winner.
Suso (RW) – 8/10 – Roamed freely in Wolves’ third and drifted infield to take up dangerous positions in the half-spaces and central areas. Was also spotted on the opposite flank at times as well. Combined effectively with Navas through majestic technique and was a menace throughout.
Youssef En-Nesyri (ST) – 6/10 – A difficult proposition facing up against three Wolves centre-halves but stuck at his task well. Often dropped between the English outfit’s compact lines to contribute to the build-up phase and was able to work a couple of opportunities for himself without converting.
Lucas Ocampos (LW) – 8/10 – Similar to Suso with smart movement into the half-spaces. Offered a route of progression via this zone and displayed talent on occasions in possession. Glanced his header home brilliantly for the game’s winner in the closing stages.
Franco Vazquez – 6/10
Luuk De Jong – 6/10
Munir – N/A