AP, Liverpool :
What the Europa League lacks in glamor it more than made up for in late drama on Thursday. Sevilla’s pursuit of a hat trick of titles was kept alive with a shootout success and Liverpool reached the semifinals through a stoppage-time winner.
Shakhtar Donetsk and Villarreal joined Liverpool in scoring four goals in their quarterfinal second-leg wins, but the English Premier League club needed every one of them to complete an exhilarating 4-3 comeback against Borussia Dortmund.
“I can’t explain,” Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel said. “It was not logical.”
Liverpool was facing elimination on away goals until Dejan Lovren’s header earned a 5-4 aggregate win on an epic Anfield night to give manager Juergen Klopp a victory to savor against his former club.
“We never stopped believing in ourselves,” Lovren said. “We said at halftime we had nothing to lose, we just had to believe. It was a great effort from everyone.”
Not only can Klopp’s first season in charge of Liverpool still end in silverware, but lifting the cup would secure Champions League qualification. Sevilla is also relying on winning the Europa League to return to the continent’s elite competition, unlike Shakhtar Donetsk and Villarreal, who are better placed to qualify through their domestic league positions.
Shakhtar Donetsk reached a European semifinal for only the second time by crushing Sporting Braga 4-0 to advance 6-1 on aggregate. Villarreal will be in Friday’s draw after winning at Sparta Prague 4-2 to go through 6-3 on aggregate.
The tables were turned on Sevilla after winning 2-1 at Athletic Bilbao last week, with its Spanish rival winning the return leg 2-1 to force the game into extra time and a shootout. Sevilla scored all five penalties to win 5-4.
What the Europa League lacks in glamor it more than made up for in late drama on Thursday. Sevilla’s pursuit of a hat trick of titles was kept alive with a shootout success and Liverpool reached the semifinals through a stoppage-time winner.
Shakhtar Donetsk and Villarreal joined Liverpool in scoring four goals in their quarterfinal second-leg wins, but the English Premier League club needed every one of them to complete an exhilarating 4-3 comeback against Borussia Dortmund.
“I can’t explain,” Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel said. “It was not logical.”
Liverpool was facing elimination on away goals until Dejan Lovren’s header earned a 5-4 aggregate win on an epic Anfield night to give manager Juergen Klopp a victory to savor against his former club.
“We never stopped believing in ourselves,” Lovren said. “We said at halftime we had nothing to lose, we just had to believe. It was a great effort from everyone.”
Not only can Klopp’s first season in charge of Liverpool still end in silverware, but lifting the cup would secure Champions League qualification. Sevilla is also relying on winning the Europa League to return to the continent’s elite competition, unlike Shakhtar Donetsk and Villarreal, who are better placed to qualify through their domestic league positions.
Shakhtar Donetsk reached a European semifinal for only the second time by crushing Sporting Braga 4-0 to advance 6-1 on aggregate. Villarreal will be in Friday’s draw after winning at Sparta Prague 4-2 to go through 6-3 on aggregate.
The tables were turned on Sevilla after winning 2-1 at Athletic Bilbao last week, with its Spanish rival winning the return leg 2-1 to force the game into extra time and a shootout. Sevilla scored all five penalties to win 5-4.
