Sevilla enter 3rd consecutive Europa League final

Two-time Europa League champions Sevilla booked their third consecutive final place in the tournament with a 3-1 win at home against Shakhtar Donetsk, which gave them a 5-3 win on aggregate.

Striker Kevin Gameiro was the hero for the home side on Thursday after opening the scoring in the ninth minute and netting his side's second two minutes after half time, reports Xinhua.

Eduardo had drawn Shakhtar level on the night with a cool finish when one on one with the keeper in the last minute of the first half, but Gameiro's goal left Shahktar ragged and Sevilla full back Mariano made it 3-1 on the night just before the hour with a long-range shot from around 30 yards.

It was his first goal for the club and it is doubtful he will score a more important goal in his career.

Following a 2-2 draw in the first leg, that goal left Shakhtar needing to score twice to qualify and with Sevilla clearly focusing on keeping the result that was not quite likely to happen.

Villarreal were unable to make the final an all-Spanish affair as they lose 3-0 away to Liverpool in Anfield.

Although the Spanish side travelled with a 1-0 first leg lead, that was soon cancelled out by a Bruno Soriano own goal as Liverpool took complete control of the game.

Further goals from Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana after the break sealed Liverpool's place in the final, while Villarreal ended up with 10 men after Victor Ruiz was sent off for two yellow cards midway through the second half.

--IANS

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