Turin.- Thanks to substitute Federico Gatti’s late stoppage-time goal, Juventus salvaged a 1-1 home draw against six-time champions Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals on Thursday.
Gatti’s header in the seventh minute of injury time in Turin kept alive the Italian side’s hopes of ending a long drought without European titles.
Juventus won the competition three times when it was called the UEFA Cup, most recently in 1993. The Bianconeri will need to win the second leg next week in Spain for a chance to win a European title for the first time since La Liga. Champions in 1996.
Sevilla have won the tournament in six editions between 2006 and 2020, and the Andalusian side once again confirmed that they are a contender for the title.
Youssef En-Nesyri scored after 26 minutes at the end of a counterattack by Sevilla, who had just eliminated Manchester United in the quarterfinals. It was the Moroccan striker’s 18th goal in all competitions.
The visitors suffered a surprise when the Argentine Lucas Ocampos, who had several chances to score, was replaced after 34 minutes due to injury.
The Seville club had another clear opportunity, but goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny deflected over the crossbar and a shot from Ivan Rakitig.
Earlier, the Argentine Ángel Di María helped Juve exert some pressure. However, it was the visitors who attacked first.
Sevilla have never lost a semi-final in this competition.
