Defending Champions Sevilla made quick work of Fiorentina with a 3-0 win at home while Napoli failed to measure up to the high standards they set after obliterating Wolfsburg. Dnipro managed to hold the Italians to a frustrating 1-1 draw on their home soil.
Napoli 1-1 Dnipro
After such a spectacular display of organization, attacking flare and dedication at the back from Napoli in the quarter-finals against their tough German opposition, many assumed that they would be able to make quick work of the stubborn Ukrainians, Dnipro on their home turf in Naples. While the visitors boast the highest disciplinary record of the campaign with over two hundred fouls committed and a shocking forty-four yellow cards, they are smart with their tackles and know how to halt an attack.
Napoli were quickly frustrated by Dnipro’s steady back four and the heavy marking that was placed on Higuain, Insigne and Callejon up top. The tale of the first half for the home side was many failed long balls and short chips over the top of the Dnipro defensive line in an attempt to break through but the visitors held fast and were smart about pushing up to catch Napoli offside. In spite of creating many tantalizing chances for themselves and succeeding a few times to avoid the offside trap and shake free of their stubborn markers, the resulting shot would roll wide or sail over the crossbar.
Dnipro’s tactical approach to the attack was to build from the back and then push the ball down the wing in their attacking third. Napoli were quick to spot their primary approach and were able to transition well to deny Dnipro any good chances from the wings. The visitors had a few cracks from distance but Andujar had a relatively quiet time in goal for Napoli.
Both sides had good chances in the first half and Napoli looked to be the closest to a breakthrough but the 0-0 scoreline after the first forty-five reflected the frustrating and chippy play from both teams.
Coming out of the break Napoli looked much more like the team that had impressed everyone in the quarter-final. At the end of the day they had a whopping nineteen attempts at goal to Dnipro’s three but by some miracle for the visitors, only one attempt managed to find the back of the net. Just four minutes after the restart, David Lopez took advantage of one of Napoli’s fourteen corner kicks and beat Dnipro keeper Boyko to the ball. With a flick of his head, the midfielder scored a long overdue goal for the home side.
With the momentum on their side, Napoli finally found their spark and continued to batter Boyko’s goal. The keeper had some spectacular saves and managed to keep his side in the game. All of his acrobatics paid off ten minutes from time when Dnipro snagged a precious away goal. Fedetskiy, who had been a livewire on the wing for Dnipro, sent in a low ball across the face of goal. Seleznyov was able to shake his marker and slot the pass home. Much to the dismay of Napoli, who considered him offside, the goal stood and Dnipro have the advantage as the two sides head to Ukraine next week.
Sevilla 3-0 Fiorentina
The Spanish side continue to dominate the Europa League with fast-paced football and a bit of Spanish flair. Both sides put on a pretty even display for the opening minutes of their fixture in Seville. Fiorentina’s Mario Gomez nearly put his side ahead five minutes in with a fantastic turn and a shot that went just over the crossbar much to the relief of Rico. The big German striker had a nearly identical miss just minutes later when he blasted a shot high again after a great series of passes from the visiting side. The home side were the ones to take the lead with a fabulous goal from Vidal, who was left unmarked at the top of the box and was able to fire a perfectly placed shot past Neto.
At the half, the 1-0 scoreline was an accurate reflection of the action on the field. Fiorentina had created some good chances but Sevilla were well organized on the transition and were able to get back and control the speedy attacks that Fiorentina are capable of thanks to their Egyptian winger, Salah. Salah was a standout player on the wing and played a part in creating all of the Italian side’s best chances in the first half.
With the boisterous home fans at their back, Sevilla put on another fantastic display in the second half and it only took them about ten minutes to find the back of the net again. A great pass into the box from Vitolo found Vidal and he netted his second of the game. With two goals in their favor, Sevilla continued to press a deflated Fiorentina for another look at goal.
To top off the victory for the home side and to capitalize on his night, substitute Kevin Gameiro found the back of the net in his first play of the game, gently guiding a touch from Vidal into the back of the net. Fiorentina’s 3-1 aggregate victory over Dynamo Kyiv was not convincing and the way that they fell apart up top and at the back following Sevilla’s second goal on the night is a sign that the Italian side really need to organize themselves better and find a stroke of inspiration if they are going to overcome the 3-0 deficit in Florence next week.
