Europa League semi-finals: Vidal helps defending champs Sevilla beat Fiorentina 3-0

Napoli’s 1-1 home draw against Dnipro leaves them struggling after the first leg.

PARIS: A stunning brace by Aleix Vidal helped defending champions Sevilla to a commanding 3-0 victory over Fiorentina in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.

Sevilla stretched their unbeaten run in European games to nine in handing Fiorentina a first away defeat in 13 games.

The La Liga side, bidding for a fourth Europa League title after winning in 2006, 2007 and 2014, took the lead in the 17th minute through the outstanding Vidal, whose first time shot wrong-footed Murara Neto.

Vidal bagged his second in the 52nd minute, another fine shot from the right of the penalty box beating Neto for the second time in the evening.

To make matters worse for Fiorentina, striker Kevin Gameiro added a third with 15 minutes to play, steering in Vidal’s strike after a Benoit Tremoulinas break down the left flank.

Meanwhile in Italy, Napoli dominated large parts of their first-leg match against Dnipro, but the Ukrainian underdogs scrapped it out for an unlikely 1-1 draw.

Spaniard David Lopez struck just four minutes into the second period, rising high to head home an inswinging Lorenzo Insigne corner for his maiden goal for the Italian club.

The Ukrainians replied through substitute Yevhen Seleznyov tapping in from close range after a scything Artem Fedetskiy cross in the 81st minute; albeit with the officials having missed an offside call.

The result will have Napoli coach Rafael Benitez concerned about the trip to Ukraine as he targets his third title in Europe.

The second legs will be played on May 14 and the final in Warsaw on May 27, with a place in next season’s Champions League on offer to the winner for the first time.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2015.

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