Associated Press
Basel, May 19: Sevilla stunned Liverpool with a 3-1 comeback win to take a record third straight Europa League title here Wednesday evening.
Swept aside in the first half yet trailing only 0-1, the Spanish club equalised 18 seconds after the restart with Kevin Gameiro’s goal from close range and Coke striking twice in the 64th and 70th minutes.
The third goal was furiously disputed by Liverpool after an assistant signalled an apparent offside against Coke, then lowered his flag.
Liverpool had led on Daniel Sturridge’s beautifully curled shot with the outside of his left foot in the 35th. The loss left Liverpool with no European football next season and dealt coach Juergen Klopp a fifth straight loss in a Cup final.
Victory in the second-tier competition, for the fifth time in 11 seasons, confirmed Sevilla’s place in the Champions League group stage next season.
Sevilla turned around the match magnificently to rock a Liverpool team that were rampant as the first half progressed. Two of Sevilla’s goals exposed tackling and positional errors by their former player Alberto Moreno on the left side of Liverpool’s defence.
Early in the second half Moreno’s poor header gifted possession to Mariano Ferreira. The right-back then broke too easily through a Moreno tackle to pass the ball across the goalmouth for the unmarked Gameiro to score.
Coke soon struck a sweeping shot from the edge of the penalty area, after Vitolo played two return passes and broke through a tackle. Coke then exposed Moreno’s defensive space to fire low into Simon Mignolet’s goal.
Liverpool had led when Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho passed across the Sevilla defence to find Sturridge to step forward and strike a sweet shot.
