The dust has barely settled down on what was a memorable Champion League semifinal victories for English clubs Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in this season's 2018-19 competition and we already have another scintillating semifinal, this time in the UEFA Europa League. Another 2 of English clubs, Arsenal and Chelsea emulated their league counterparts by advancing into the final in what is an extraordinary season for the EPL clubs in European elite competitions. Never has a country had all 4 finalists in the Champions League and Europa League in the same season? It just reiterated the competitiveness of the EPL's top 6 rather than top 4.
CHELSEA 1(4)-(3)1 FRANKFURT (2-2 agg):
Chelsea held their visitors, Eintracht Frankfurt to a 1 all draw when they travelled to Germany a week ago and sought to get the job done in the reverse fixture at home Stamford Bridge. The tie was still evenly poised as a defeat or a score draw of more than a goal will eliminate Chelsea. Chelsea holds a very good stats against German oppositions in European competitions, played 9, won 7, drew 2 and kept 7 clean sheets, they hoped to keep the record going and had to do it without their combative defensive midfielder, N'Golo Kante who pulled a hamstring injury recently. Chelsea's domestic form has dipped in recent time, winning just 2 of their last 5(W, D, D, L, W), fortunately, with the EPL top 4 all but secured, they can now focus on the Europa League. Frankfurt, on the other hand, still yet to seal top 4 in the German Bundesliga, the automatic UCL spot is still keenly contested for between Frankfurt and Bayern Leverkusen. Frankfurt recent poor form of a win in 5 league matches(L, D, D, L, W) has seen Leverkusen closed the point gap on her, with both clubs on 54 points, Frankfurt just ahead of Leverkusen in 4th position on a difference of just 5 goals with 2 matches yet to be played, as the season winds up. A Europa League win is a guaranteed back door to next season's UCL finals.
Chelsea got out of the block as quickly as expected, but it was the away side that threatens 1st, Kepa in goal for Chelsea showed awareness by stopping Frankfurt's Danny Da Costa's effort. The host fired back with their own effort on goal through Chelsea defender David Luiz, whose effort was cleared off the line. Chelsea eventually got there goal in the 24th minute through Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who side-footed into the bottom right corner from an Eden Hazard pick-out pass. Chelsea held the slim 1 nil advantage into the half time break.
The visitor showed intent and quickly hit back 3 minutes into the restarts, Mijat Gacinovic and Luka Jovic combined with a one-two inter-play before the latter find the back of the net for the equalizer. The visitor probed the Chelsea defence for the winning goal but Chelsea held firm to extend the match into an extra-time. Frankfurt almost got the winner twice in the extra-time through Sebastien Haller, but he was twice denied off the line by defenders, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta. After 30 minutes of extra time with no additional goal, the match went into the dreaded spot-kicks.
Chelsea blinked 1st from the spot-kicks as Azpilicueta missed from the spot, and when it seemed as if Frankfurt will coast home with the kicks, Kepa came good with back-to-back saves, denying Martin Hinteregger and Goncalo Paciencia, before Eden Hazard scored the last kick to win the match for Chelsea. The Blues are into the final where they will play country club and London rival, Arsenal.
VALENCIA 2-4 ARSENAL (3-7 agg):
Arsenal's hope of automatic UCL qualifications through the domestic league is realistically all but gone, it will take a disastrous whitewash of Spurs by Everton at White Hart Lane in the last match of the season and a likewise whitewash win for Arsenal at Burnley, for the Gunners to still make top 4, it is an unlikely scenario. So, like most clubs that are still vying for next season UCL, Europa League win is the only realistic option for Arsenal, but Valencia with same ambition stood in the way. Arsenal held a decent but still delicately poised 3-1 home win advantage going into the reserve fixture at Valencia, and boss, Unai Emery, who has won the Europa League 3 successive times with Sevilla, knew how difficult it was going to be at his former employer's stuff, knowing fully well how Arsenal has been dreadful on away ground across all competition. The Gunners' league form is even less admirable, won just 1 in their last 5( D, L, L, L, W), and many have attributed the Gunners' recent poor form to the loss of dynamic midfielder, Aaron Ramsey due to injury that has kept him out of the season, the Gunners sure needed someone to stepped into the Ramsey shoe, if they are to go past an opponent who has a record of 1 win and 1 draw over Arsenal in previous 2 meetings prior to the 1st leg tie(win). Valencia sits 5th on La Liga table, 3 points behind Getafe who occupy the last UCL spot with 2 games to go and are on a better league form with 3 wins and 2 losses. It was all to play for at the Estadio Mestalla, home of Valencia.
Just like in the 1st leg, Arsenal started on the back foot, going down to an early(11 min) Kevin Gameiro goal. Valencia almost made 2 nil, but Rodrigo Moreno's goalbound effort hit his teammate Gameiro, the miss proved costly as Arsenal hit back soon after. Alexandre Lacazette and strike partner, Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang combined well before the Gabonese volleyed in the equalizer in the 17th minute, the 1st half ended 1 all.
Arsenal got the all-important goal in the 2nd half when Lucas Torreira found Lacazette who duly finished off in the 50th minute. Valencia showed resilience and soon levelled, Gameiro at the double in the 58th minute after connecting with Rodrigo again. However, Arsenal showed superior qualities in the attack when Aubameyang taped in Ainsley Maitland-Niles square, and Arsenal pulled further away in the dying seconds of the regulation time when Aubameyang completed his hat-trick when he got behind Henrikh Mkhitaryan's square, 4-2 to Arsenal on the night and 7-3 on aggregate to join Chelsea in the final in Baku.
Arsenal vs Chelsea in the UEFA Europa League Final, coupled with Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League means 4 clubs from the same country will contest the finals of European's 2 elite club competition for the very 1st time ever, a proud moment for the English Premier League bosses.
Thank you all for your time.
Comments