WATCH: “They’re prime Barca in this comp”- Fans react as Sevilla begins Europa semifinal campaign v Juventus with a great goal by Youssef En-Nesyri
Juventus were dominated by Sevilla for large periods of the first half.
Youssef En-Neysri celebrates his goal. (Credits: ESPN)
Sevilla went into the first half of their Champions League first-leg tie against Juventus with a 1-0 lead, thanks to a goal from Youssef En-Neysri. The Moroccan opened the scoring in the 26th minute.
The Spanish side dominated the first half, creating almost double the expected goals (1.50 to Juventus’ 0.81). They also outshot the Old Lady significantly, with 12 shots to three. The home side failed to register any shot on target. It was an entertaining affair, with Wojciech Szczesny stretching to save a near post from Lucas Ocampos in the 16th minute. Yassine Bounou was forced into action just minutes later at the other end. He pushed away a well-timed touch from Dusan Vlahovic, who missed a gilt-edged opportunity soon after, as he fired over from close range.
Ocampos had another chance to score in the 25th minute, but he fired his first-time shot wide. However, En-Neysri made up for his mistake. Sevilla broke quickly and the ball was switched out to Ocampos, who had acres of space. He squared a great low cross into the box and the Moroccan striker was unmarked in the middle to slot it past a wrong-footed Szczesny into the back of the net.
It was an efficient move, with the Argentinian winger Ocampos putting the ball into the box without even getting his head up. He seemed to instinctively know that En-Neysri would be there for him to pick out. Juventus had no chances for the rest of the half. The relentless Spaniards put them under pressure with a constant barrage of attacks.
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Fans react to the first half
Jose Luis Mendilibar will be happy with his side’s first-half performance. Meanwhile, his counterpart Massimiliano Allegri will be frustrated at his teams lack of control in the game. Juventus are chasing a first-ever Europa League trophy, with this their only chance left at silverware this season. Europa League specialists Sevilla are aiming to win the competition for a seventh time. They will be confident of doing so, having lost just one of their nine matches in all competitions.
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