Ben Yedder scores one of his goals against Krasnodar
Match reports

3-0: TWO QUICK-FIRE GOALS FROM BEN YEDDER CONFIRM PROGRESS IN EUROPE WITHOUT COMPLICATIONS

13/12/2018
There were no surprises and the five-time champions kept their chances of adding to their Europa League crowns alive. They needed to win to not have to rely on the result in Turkey and they did so convincingly with a 3-0 scoreline, but a draw would have been enough for a Sevilla side who will now take a break from European action until February with the satisfaction of a job well done.

It was a final and it was settled with the required intensity, but the start was not one that many could have foreseen. Sevilla FC are through to the round of 32 of the UEFA Europa League after a convincing win against Krasnodar who will now have to settle for second place and could have been in serious danger of elimination had there been another goal in Nervión and a goal in Turkey, which never arrived. Ben Yedder set the tone in the first ten minutes and a penalty from Banega settled the game shortly after the start of the second half. It marks a satisfying conclusion to European competition until February, and now the team wait to find out their opponents for the first knockout round on Monday.

It was essential to start strong in order to avoid any complications and not only was the team's intent clear for all to see, but they were also clinical to set the tone of the game very early. After playing the first few minutes in the opposition's half, the first goal came on the fifth minute after a press from Sevilla high up the pitch. A short clearance from the goalkeeper forced Kaboré to deflect the ball back towards his goal, where Ben Yedder, who was onside due to the ball coming off an opposition player, was waiting to control and fire past Kritsyuk, who had no chance. The foundations were laid, but Machín's men kept pushing, clearly showing that they wanted more.

Ben Yedder calmed any nerves with his brace inside ten minutes

And although Ignatyev had a chance to equalise after a cut-back in the area, he fired wide and this miss was soon followed by a second Sevilla goal. Sergi Gómez' long ball over the top was contested by Ben Yedder, who, after shaking off his marker, faced down Kritsyuk and slotted the ball home to make it 2-0. Barely nine minutes had passed but things were looking very good. In fact, from this point, there was less action in either penalty areas, although Sevilla continued to control the game with calmness and intelligence. Krasnodar also knew that if the situation continued to get worse, their qualification would be under threat.

The intensity of the match dropped slightly until Krasnodar pushed once again in search for a goal to get themselves back in the game, as a draw would have been enough for the Russian side to secure first place in the group. Wanderson had the clearest opportunity after cutting in from the left, but Vaclík got down low to deny the Brazillian. And soon after the start of the second half, the third goal came to bring even more tranquillity to the game. Vázquez lead a counter-attack and passed to Ben Yedder, whose shot was saved by Kritsyuk, but the rebound left André Silva free to head home into an empty net. However, Ramírez, who was already on a yellow card, blocked the ball with his hand and was handed a straight red card. Banega stepped up to the resulting penalty and made no mistake in making it 3-0.

If there were any lingering doubts, they were dispelled by Banega's penalty, which setteled the game with almost all of the second half left to play

With a player less and the match lost, Krasnodar tried to shut up shop to prevent things from getting any worse, although Standard were not able to get the goal in Turkey that would have given them some hope of qualification. Musayev turned to his bench to solidify his team while Machí made his own changes, but with the clear intention of keeping players fresh. Amadou and Jesús Navas came on for Banega and Ben Yedder who was given a standing ovation for his clinical display. With the job done and Krasnodar keeping an eye on events in Turkey, the match seemed to be losing its initial intensity. The Sevilla manager used up all his changes by bringing on Muriel for André Silva before Roque Mesa had a good effort from outside the areas which went just past the post.

The match ticked on without further excitement until the final whistle, bringing a happy ending for both sides, as Krasnodar's loss was not by a big enough margin to see them eliminated, nor could Standard manage to get the win against Akhisar, who manage to pick up their first point in their farewell game. Sevilla finish the group with 12 points out of a possible 18, an enviable goal difference but with a resolution that came later than desired, even though the final match was much less nervy than expected. It marks an end to European competition until February when the team will return to contest the round of 32 which will begin away from home, a prize for finishing top of their group.

GAME SUMMARY

3. SEVILLA FC:: Vaclík, Mercado, Carriço, Sergi Gómez, Promes, Roque Mesa, Banega (Amadou, 69'), Franco Vázquez, Escudero, Ben Yedder (Jesús Navas, 72') and André Silva (Muriel, 77').

0. FC KRASNODAR: Kritsyuk, Petrov, Martynovich, Fjoluson, Ramírez, Gazinskiy, Kaboré, Pereira (Stotskiy, 51'), Wanderson (Shishkin, 77'), Ignatyev and Claesson (Cueva, 61').

GOALS: 1-0, 5th minute: Ben Yedder; 2-0, 10th minute: Ben Yedder; 3-0, 49th minute: Banega pen.

REFEREE: Daniel Stefanski, Poland. Yellow cards for Promes, Banega, Gazinskiy and Ramírez. Straight red for Gazinskiy in the 48th minute.