Sevilla to face Barcelona in Copa del Rey final
FC Barcelona’s Gerard Pique reacts after scoring against Athletic Bilbao scored during a quarterfinal, second leg, Copa del Rey soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. AP File photo.
MADRID, Spain—Sevilla will play Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final after drawing 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Thursday, advancing 6-2 on aggregate.
Sevilla will play Luis Enrique’s side in the final on May 21, after it eliminated Valencia 8-1 on aggregate in the other semifinal on Wednesday.
Celta opened a 2-0 lead with goals by striker Iago Aspas in the 35th and 55th minutes to ignite the Balaidos Stadium, but Argentine midfielder Ever Banega scored for Sevilla in the 57th to dampen the fans’ hopes of a comeback.
Celta’s chances of reversing the 4-0 loss from the first leg ended for good when Swedish striker John Guidetti missed a 60th-minute penalty kick under pouring rain in Vigo.
Ukrainian midfielder Yevhen Konoplyanka came off the bench to score Sevilla’s second goal in the 87th, when the semifinal had already been settled.
Sevilla midfielder Steven Nzonzi was sent off after the match following his second yellow card and he will miss the final.
“This comes as recognition of our work,” Sevilla coach Unai Emery said. “I’m proud of our team, although there is still some room for improvement, especially in these away games.”
Sevilla had won all of its seven Copa del Rey matches so far. It hadn’t conceded a single goal while scoring 20.
It will be Sevilla’s first appearance in the final since it won the title for the fifth time in 2010. Barcelona is playing in the final for the third straight season, and sixth time in eight years. It has won the tournament a record 27 times.
It still hasn’t been decided which stadium will host the final.
“I would rather play in China than at the Camp Nou,” Emery said. “That would be like giving them another (Lionel) Messi. I hope it doesn’t happen.”
Celta, which is yet to win the Copa, played well in front of its raucous fans and created several scoring chances throughout the match, but in the end it couldn’t get the goals it needed.
Banega’s goal with a low shot from just inside the area two minutes after Celta’s second goal dealt a huge blow to the fans in Vigo, and the missed penalty by Guidetti, who struck the post with his shot from the spot, took all the energy out of the team.
It was the third match between Sevilla and Celta in a week. They also met in Vigo in the Spanish league over the weekend, drawing 1-1.
