Sevilla knocks Wolves out of UEFA Europa Cup

Sevilla FC dashed hopes of setting up an all-English semi-final at the 2019-2020 UEFA Europa League. The Spanish side knocked out Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 to book a clash against Manchester United on Sunday.

Sevilla advanced thanks to a very late goal by Lucas Ocampos at the 88th minute in Duisburg. The brilliant header from Ever Banega's superb cross sealed the deal for the five-time champions. Wolves keeper Rui Patricio didn't stand a chance.

Nuno Espirito Santo's boys will be sorely disappointed after giving away a goal so late in the game. They also had an opportunity to take the early lead through a penalty in the 13th minute. However, Raul Jimenez failed to score from the spot thanks to controversial save by Sevilla keeper Yassine Bounou.

According to the BBC, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) figured in another controversy after it failed to review how Bounou appeared to be off his line. Likewise, Diego Carlos may have entered the box prematurely. All of these were spotted by fans watching on television, but with no formal review, the match is done and dusted.

After the saved penalty, Sevilla completely dominated the match and the Wolves were not able to produce a single shot on target. They failed to force the match to extra time as Sevilla finally made a breakthrough with only two minutes to spare.

Apart from losing out on the title this year, the Wolves will also be devastated to have lost any chance to compete in Europe next season. They only finished in 7th place in the Premier League, just missing out on the European spots. The massive financial blow of not playing Europe coupled with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic will put the team in dire straits. They might also struggle to keep some of their star players.

Meanwhile, Manchester United will be thrilled not only to have advanced to the semi-finals of the Europa League, but also to have booked a spot in next season's Champions League thanks to a third-place finish in the Premier League. They have a tough semi-final ahead against Sevilla, but the Red Devils have been enjoying superb form as of late. It remains to be seen if they can put an end to Sevilla's dominance of the tournament.

The other semi-final will be between Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk.