SOCCER - EUROPA LEAGUE
2019/20
Qualifying Round 2, 1st Leg - Crusaders FC (0) @ (2) Wolverhampton Wanderers - Wolves celebrated their 1st European match since 1980 with a tight home win against the Crusaders from Northern Ireland. Wolves dominated the game, controlling possession (80% to 20%) and shots on goal (30 to 1) but the Crusaders defended well and held the home team to 1 goal in each half, with the 2nd goal coming with the last kick of the game. The goals came from Diogo Jota and Ruben Vinagre. Coverage also includes 7 minutes of hi-lites of the 2nd Leg (9, Re-broadcast with no half-time but game complete, 1 Disc, Freesports - O'Hagan/Brown, PAL)
Last 32, 1st Leg - Espanyol (0) @ (4) Wolverhampton Wanderers - Wolves took a major step towards the next round with a comprehensive home win against Espanyol. Wolves built on a 1-0 half-time lead with 3 goals in the 2nd half, with Diogo Jota completing a hat-trick and Ruben Neves hitting a stunning volley from outside of the box after chesting the ball down from a defensive clearance. Disc 2 also includes 5 minutes of hi-lites of the 2nd Leg (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Carney, PAL)
Quarter Final - Inter Milan (2) v (1) Bayer Leverkusen - On a record-setting night at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, Inter Milan comfortably saw off Bayer Leverkusen to reach the Semi-Finals. Inter were in control throughout with 1st half goals from Nicolo Barella and Romelu Lukaku proving too much for Leverkusen to overcome. The goal from Lukaku set a Europa League record as he had scored in 9 straight Europa League games. Kai Havertz scored for Leverkusen but it was 1 of only 2 shots they had on target the whole game. Inter also featured Ashley Young (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mason, PAL)
Semi-Final - Inter Milan (5) v (0) Shakhtar Donetsk - In a record-setting game in Dusseldorf, Germany, Inter Milan shocked Shakhtar Donetsk and booked a place in their first Europa League Final. The 5-0 win was the biggest margin of victory ever in a single UEFA Cup/ Europa League semi-final game. Inter held a slim 1-0 lead at the break, but 4 goals in 20 minutes in the middle of the 2nd half sealed the win and a place in the final. The Inter goals came from Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro MartÃnez and Stefan de Vrij (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Darke/Savage, PAL)
Final - Sevilla (3) v (2) Inter Milan - Sevilla continued their dominance of the Europa League, winning their 6th title in a shootout in Cologne, Germany. Expectations of a cagey affair were dispelled by a 4-goal blitz in the 1st half, which left the teams tied at 2-2 at the break. The 2nd half was a more cautious affair and the game was won by an own goal by Romelu Lukaku with 16 minutes to play. Inter tried to find the equaliser but clever defensive play by the Spaniards saw out the game in their favour. The other Sevilla goals came from Luuk de Jong (2). The Inter Milan goals came from Romelu Lukaku and Diego Godin. With the win, Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui won his first major trophy (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Darke/Savage, PAL)