Moral champagne for Sevilla against Juventus
‘You have to think about the whole game, not just the final second’ said José Luis Mendilibar, after Sevilla relinquished what would have been a highly valuable lead to take into the second leg of their Europa League semi-final (1-1). With a few minor exceptions, missed chances, perhaps a slight acquiescence into their own half, it had been the perfect European away day. Bundling home a looping header back across goal in the final seconds of the match, Federico Gatti once again proved that leaving football matches early is an act that can and will be punished harshly.
Sevilla had bent Juventus all out of shape in the first half. Even without the roar of the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán to urge them onto their opponents, Sevilla hunted and did so successfully. When Youssef En-Nesyri netted his 16th post-World Cup goal, a period of ten minutes ensued where Los Nervionenses looked as if they might kill the tie, bursting through the middle of the pitch time and again.
Looked at from a karmic perspective, perhaps this setback against Juventus is simply a paying of their dues for the miraculous comeback against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Seen from Mendilibar’s vantage point, the Basque manager is not one for equations and theorems, but it is a game that in an academic sense was highly impressive.
They will wait to see the extent of Lucas Ocampos’ injury, but he leads a long a list of footballers who are enjoying their football again. Bryan Gil, En-Nesyri, Marcos Acuña, Jesús Navas, Nemanja Gudelj are all either playing their best football since they arrived, or since 2021 under Julen Lopetegui.
Nobody embodies the turnaround at Sevilla more than Ivan Rakitic though. The Croatian veteran, 35, looked as if he felt every minute of the 64,000 minutes he has trawled through in his legs earlier in the season. For over a decade he has graced La Liga with his nous and technique, but it was a somber sight in November watching games pass him by, with passes either overly safe or shy of their destination.
Against Juventus, Rakitic proved that while he might not be at the level of his compatriot Luka Modric these days, he is still capable of running the show. That is what he did in Turin, perfect with his passes, and assured with every decision. Mendilibar’s football should have passed him by in favour of the more physically capable Joan Jordán, who was at Eibar with the Basque coach.
Instead Rakitic and Fernando Reges seemed to be gliding through midfield, manipulating time and space according to the needs of the game. Rakitic shaped the current of match, coasting, rather than thrashing in the waves as was the case earlier in the season.
Sevilla and Mendilibar will not have cracked open any prosecco in Turin, but there is certainly enough to suggest to club officials that some champagne should be iced next week, in case they do make it to another Europa League final. For now, they will have to be content with a moral victory. Given where Sevilla where just two months ago, the Cruzcampo will not taste too bitter on Friday evening for Sevillistas.