SOCCER - EUROPA LEAGUE
2013/14
3rd Qualifying Round, 1st Leg - Malmo (0) @ (4) Swansea City - In their 1st European game since 1991, Swansea made a dream start with a big win over Swedish side Malmo. Goals from Wilfried Bony (2), Michu and Alejandro Pozuelo did the damage with Michu especially influential. Swansea led 1-0 at the half (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Champion/Carlisle, PAL)
Playoff Round, 1st Leg - Petrolul Ploiesti (1) @ (5) Swansea City - Swansea put one foot in the Group Stage round of the competition with a big home win over the Romanians. The Swans led 3-0 at the half with goals from Wayne Routledge (2) and Michu, then finished off the tie with a goal from Alejandro Pozuelo and an Own Goal (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Champion/Townsend, PAL)
Group A - Swansea City (3) @ (0) Valencia - Swansea City opened their Group phase with a strong win at the Mestella. After Valencia had been reduced to 10 men after 10 minutes, Swansea took advantage and won the game with goals from Wilfried Bony, Mich and Jonathan De Guzman (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Carlisle, PAL)
Group D - NK Maribor (1) @ (3) Wigan Athletic - Wigan celebrated their 1st home European tie with a big win at the DW Stadium. Wigan dominated the 1st half and took a 2-0 lead in at the break with goals from Nick Powell and Ben Watson. Maribor had the better of the 2nd half and a goal from Morales Tavares made for a nervy finish before Powell scored his 2nd in injury time to take the win for Wigan against the Slovenian Champions (10, 2 Discs, ESPN UK - Darke/McAllister, PAL)
Semi-Final, 1st Leg - Juventus (1) @ (2) Benfica - In a shoot-out in Lisbon, Benfica took a slim advantage into the 2nd leg thanks to a late goal. Benfica held a 1-0 lead at the half with a goal from Ezequiel Garay but Carlos Tevez scored a vital away goal in the 2nd half. Benfica's Lima won the tie with a great goal 6 minutes from the end to give the Portuguese a slim lead for the 2nd leg (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Townsend, PAL)
Semi-Final, 2nd Leg - Benfica (0) @ (0) Juventus - In front of a raucous crowd at the Juventus Stadium, Benfica held on to their 2-1 1st leg lead to book a place in the Final. Juventus pushed hard (19 shots on goal + 63% possession) but couldn't find the breakthrough despite Benfica having 2 players sent off, and the Portuguese held on for the goal-less draw they needed (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Townsend, PAL)
Final - Sevilla (0) @ (0) Benfica - Sevilla claimed their 3rd UEFA cup/Europa Cup title with a penalty shootout win in Turin. Both sides had chances during the game, combining for 31 shots on goal, but both teams' Defenses were on top form and kept the game scoreless through regulation and extra-time. Sevilla held their nerve in the shootout and scored all their kicks to win 4-2. Sevilla were led by Ivan Rakitic, Carlos Bacca and Alberto Moreno. Benfica were led by Lima, Luisão and Ezequiel Garay (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Townsend, PAL)