Sevilla have eased into the 2015 Europa League final after overcoming Fiorentina 2-0 in the second leg of their semi-final.
The Spanish side entered the match with a three-goal lead from the first leg last week, but strikes from Carlos Bacca and Daniel Carrico secured another impressive win in Florence.
Fiorentina had a golden chance to get their name on the scoresheet from the penalty spot in the second period, but Josip Ilicic fired over the crossbar as the Italians failed to register over the two legs.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action.
Match statistics
FIORENTINA
Shots: 27
On target: 6
Possession: 64%
Corners: 16
Fouls: 13
SEVILLA
Shots: 5
On target: 3
Possession: 36%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 15
Was the result fair?
In truth, quite how Fiorentina failed to register in Florence is a mystery. The statistics demonstrate that the home team had 27 attempts, but that said, just six were on target. Sevilla stopper Sergio Rico made a number of smart saves, but it is difficult to say that the hosts deserved to lose to nil. Sevilla were not on the front foot for too much of the game, but they always looked threatening in the final third and might have made it more comprehensive in the second period. Mohamed Salah was comfortably Fiorentina's best player in Florence, but it just did not happen for the likes of Ilicic and Joaquin, who will not remember this match too fondly when looking back.
Over both legs there is no doubt that Sevilla deserved to progress. Fiorentina had plenty of chances over both games, but just could not find a route into the back of the net. Sevilla, meanwhile, picked their moments in attack and demonstrated the type of threat that has served them so well this season. There is something about the Spanish side in this competition and they now have the chance to secure their fourth UEFA Cup/Europa League on May 27, with Dnipro confirmed as their opponents in the final.
Fiorentina's performance
Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella made three changes to his XI from the first leg, with David Pizarro, Jose Maria Basanta and, most notably, Ilicic all starting. The latter's involvement in a front three meant that Mario Gomez was named on the bench and the German was not even introduced as one of the three substitutes. Salah, as mentioned, was Fiorentina's brightest player all evening and the on-loan Chelsea attacker came close in the fifth minute after good work from Ilicic, but Carrico was on hand to make a fine block. It was Sevilla that scored twice within the space of five minutes, however, and the home side's defending for both goals was very disappointing. Both stemmed from crosses into the box and the Fiorentina defence went walkabout. As soon as the first Sevilla goal went in, it was tie over, but the hosts did continue to force numbers into the final third.
Salah remained Fiorentina's biggest threat in the second period and came close twice before the hour, but it just was not the Italian side's night. They had the perfect chance to open their tally for the semi-final in the 67th minute when Pizarro went down inside the box, but Ilicic fired high and wide of the crossbar. That pattern of missed chances continued into the latter stages as the Serie A side failed to register. Montella can take some positives despite the defeat, but losing 5-0 on aggregate at this stage of the competition will be a big disappointment. That said, the home supporters continued to back their team until the very final stages.
Sevilla's performance
It was a strange game for Sevilla, who knew that one goal at any point would surely be enough to book their spot in the final. The hard work was done in the first leg last week, but it was still another impressive performance from the Spanish team, who have now lost just one of their last 19 games in all competitions. They started on the front foot and came close to registering inside two minutes when Vitolo found all sorts of space inside the box, but there were no takers on his low cross. Their threat on the counter remained apparent, however, and the opening goal came in the 22nd minute when Bacca converted a low free kick from Ever Banega. The second came in similar circumstances as Coke delivered a low cross and Carrico was on hand to convert. At that stage, only a major capitulation - six goals for Fiorentina without reply - would have seen Sevilla exit in sensational circumstances, but they did have to rely on their goalkeeper to make a number of smart saves.
As expected, Sevilla's attacking threat dampened in the second period as they played on the counter and in truth, not too much occurred after the break. Bacca had an opportunity to make it 3-0 just past the hour after driving into the Fiorentina box, but the Colombian instead attempted to find Vidal and put too much purchase on the pass. Both teams made changes as the match developed and Sevilla managed to keep their clean sheet intact over the two legs. Head coach Unai Emery has been the master at rotating his squad this season and that was again the case here as he took no chances by naming a strong XI, that got the job done. Winning the Europa League this season would secure a spot in the 2015-16 Champions League.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Sergio Rico: It might seem a touch strange to hand the Sevilla goalkeeper this award, but the Spaniard was quite excellent in Florence. As discussed, Fiorentina had a number of excellent chances to register, but the youngster stood tall on several occasions to keep his clean sheet intact. The statistics also demonstrate that the home team had 16 corners and Rico was very composed with anything that came into his box.
Biggest gaffe
It just did not happen for Fiorentina striker Ilicic, who missed a number of chances throughout the match. However, the 27-year-old's poorest moment came in the second period when he fired his penalty high and wide of the crossbar. In truth, that incident summed up the striker's night. That said, Sevilla's Grzegorz Krychowiak must also be picked out for a really poor challenge on Pizarro, which saw the penalty awarded.
Referee performance
Referee Damir Skomina had a solid game. The Slovenian was correct to award Fiorentina a penalty in the first period, while he was always prepared to let the game flow, which helped create an entertaining contest. Skomina also showed a yellow card to Borja Valero for diving inside the box, which was the right decision.
What next?
Fiorentina: Fiorentina welcome Parma in Serie A on Monday needing to win to keep their top-four hopes alive.
Sevilla: With the strike in Spain now lifted, Sevilla will welcome struggling Almeria in La Liga on Sunday.
Matt Law
