Wolves 0-1 Sevilla: Jimenez penalty miss costly as Ocampos sets up Man Utd semi-final

Lucas Ocampos punished Raul Jimenez’s early penalty miss with a late winner as Sevilla beat Wolves 1-0 in Wednesday’s Europa League quarter-final at the MSV-Arena.

Sevilla have won the competition in its various guises a record five times and will now face Manchester United on Sunday for a place in the final.

It may have been a different story in Duisburg had Jimenez converted from 12 yards but Yassine Bounou made a save and Ocampos glanced in the only goal two minutes from time.

Wolves, whose European adventure started 13 months and 17 games ago, had too little time to respond and Sevilla saw things through to advance to another continental semi-final.

FT | #WOL 0-1 #SEV

Our @EuropaLeague journey comes to an end. #WOLSEV

pic.twitter.com/pSvKa4gMWj

— Wolves (@Wolves) August 11, 2020

Adama Traore’s pace put Sevilla’s defenders under pressure right from the off and he won Wolves’ 11th-minute penalty after being hacked down by Diego Carlos inside the box.

Jimenez stuttered his run up and Bounou – stood slightly off his line – made a straightforward stop to his left, with Joao Moutinho slicing wide from the rebound.

Sevilla used that scare as a wake-up call but it took until the hour mark for their first real chance – Youssef En-Nesyri poking the ball straight at Rui Patricio after wriggling through.

Jules Kounde and En-Nesyri wasted good headed opportunities inside the six-yard box, either side of Ever Banega testing Patricio from a free-kick.

However, Sevilla’s pressure finally told in the closing stages when Banega curled in a cross from the right and Ocampos glanced a header into the bottom-left corner, ending Wolves’ marathon campaign in a cruel manner.

What does it mean? Sevilla on course for more European silverware

Sevilla won this competition three years running between 2014 and 2016 and rightly carry the tag of being Europa League specialists.

Now unbeaten in 19 games, and having lost just one of their last nine European knockout ties with English opposition, they will fancy their chances of overcoming United.

Ocampos comes up with the goods

Ocampos has scored some important goals for Sevilla this term – none more so than this late winner, which was his 17th of the season in all competitions but his first in the Europa League.

The left-sided forward did brilliantly to not only meet Banega’s cross but to guide it down and away from Patricio into the far corner.

Jimenez miss proves costly

Jimenez was Wolves’ penalty hero in the slender last-16 second-leg win over Olympiacos last week but fluffed his lines from 12 yards here.

The Mexican, who had scored all eight previous spot-kicks for Wolves, waited for Bounou to move but the Sevilla keeper pretty much stood still and made the save.

Bounou saves penalty from Jiménez #UEL https://t.co/cFH63SWtcE pic.twitter.com/DNmYaPpTzB

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) August 11, 2020

What’s next?

Sevilla meet United in Cologne for a place in the final, where one of Inter or Shakhtar Donetsk await. After an arduous campaign, Wolves have four weeks to prepare for the 2020-21 season.