Europa League Final Review - Liverpool 1 Sevilla 3
- ILT Authors
- May 16, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 13, 2018
MAY 16, 2018
BY TEOH MIN JIEH
UEFA Europa League 2016 Final Review
Liverpool FC vs Sevilla FC
Jurgen Klopp picked the exact same squad that defeated Villarreal in the Europa League semi-final second leg at Anfield while Sevilla placed David Soria in goal instead of Sergo Rico.
The only change Unai Emery made from the second leg of the semi-final against Shakhtar was the left-back, Sergio Escudero.
Vitolo, the prolific winger who had 4 assists from the knockout phases and group stages, is positioned alongside Banega, the playmaker and Coke, the captain of Sevilla.
Kevin Gameiro was the danger man to be cautious of, for he scored 7 goals in the EUFA Champions League group stages.
Both teams started attacking football with counter attacks. During the first half, Liverpool was the dominant side due to the 5 attempts they made along with 3 shots on target. Plus, Liverpool had 53 percent ball possession, while Sevilla only had 47 percent.
Jurgen Klopp’s attacking style is to dominate the match with counter attacks. The strategy was whenever a defender regains possession behind the half line, he would deliver long balls to the attacking players who are over the half line.
Unfortunately the attacking front was blunt, as most passes were short, which was due to the lack of running spaces in the pitch.
Sevilla wasn’t convincing enough to win the Europa League final during the first half. Only one attempt was made by Kevin Gameiro, the danger man who scored 7 goals in the EUFA Champions League Group stages.
It was an overhead kick in the 31st minute of the match which brought up the mood of the whole Sevilla team. Fans never expected an acrobatic kick would come from Kevin Gameiro himself.
The ball was crossed and placed perfectly on top of his position. Good athleticism was displayed by Gameiro with that attempt, but it wasn’t enough to take the lead. It was as if they were trapped mentally by Liverpool’s defence.
Sevilla was weak in attack due to the hard pressing and frontline pressure given by Liverpool players high up the pitch.
The moment Liverpool’s defence and midfield made passing mistakes, Sevilla players would seize the opportunity and press the attack up forward. The exact moment started in the 27th minute.
Once the Sevilla players gain possession of the ball, the wingers, Coke and Vitolo would spread the attack wide into left or right side of the pitch.
Crosses were made by the midfielders but Liverpool’s defense made up for their mistake by clearing the danger off the penalty box.
The amount of fouls committed by Liverpool players were quite high as well, with a figure of 11 fouls, compared to Sevilla which was only 4.
The first half ended with Liverpool 1, Sevilla 0. Sturridge's trivela goal was a beauty as he used the outside of his left foot to curl the ball into the net in the 35th minute, which was assisted by Philippe Coutinho.
Right after the half time whistle is blown, there was an aura surrounding the Sevilla players. Passes were more accurate, more runs were made.
Their efforts weren't wasted. Just 17 seconds into the second half of the final, Kevin Gameiro equalized by scoring a three-yard-goal after receiving a cross from Mariano.
Alberto Moreno was at fault for he was suppose to get a clearance of the ball. He failed to do so with Mariano's world class touch ended up putting the ball between his legs.
Sevilla's attack seem more advanced and efficient for the Liverpool players were probably exhausted after the first 45 minutes of hard pressing.
Coke scored his first two Europa League goals after 24 games without one. His spell broke in the 19 minutes after the second half whistle was blown.
In the 64th minute, Coke took the lead and brought Sevilla one score ahead of Liverpool. The smasher Coke made with his low right foot went into the corner of the net.
The twenty-yard-goal boosted Sevilla's confidence and provided motivation. Their work rate vastly increased which brings to Coke's second goal of the match.
Coke scored in the 70th minute after receiving a ball from a deflection made the Liverpool side. Six yards out from the net and Coke sent it to the back of the net calmly after the ball broke to him.
The match ended Sevilla 3 : Liverpool 1. The match was mostly filled with taunts and cheers after the first goal Gameiro scored for Sevilla. Liverpool fans went home with disappointments for this was their seventh defeat out of 12 European competition finals. As for Sevilla fans, they applauded the current Sevilla team for they were the first team to reach five overall finals and three consecutive finals, and had a chance to win an unprecedented five overall and three consecutive titles.
(The video shows the highlights of the match.)
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