TURIN: Substitute Federico Gatti scored deep into stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw for Juventus against six-time champion Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals on Thursday.
Gatti headed in the equalizer in the seventh minute of added time in Turin to keep alive the Italian team’s hopes for a European trophy after a long drought.
Juventus won the competition when it was known as the UEFA Cup three times, most recently in 1993. The team will have to win in the second leg next week to get a chance to claim a first European title since winning the Champions League in 1996.
Sevilla have won the trophy six times and the Spanish squad again proved the are a title contender.
Youssef En-Nesyri scored in the 26th minute to finish a lethal counterattack for Sevilla, which eliminated Manchester United in the quarterfinals. It was the forward’s 18th goal in all competitions.
The visitors suffered a setback when Lucas Ocampos, who had several attempts on goal, had to be substituted in the 34th due to an injury.
Sevilla had another good chance but goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny tipped Ivan Rakitić’s shot over the bar.
Earlier, Angel Di Maria helped Juventus create some pressure but it was the visitors who struck first.
Sevilla have never lost a semifinal in this competition.
Roma stayed on course to claim back-to-back European titles by beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 in the first leg of their semifinal.
Jose Mourinho’s team won the the inaugural edition of the third-tier Europa Conference League last year.
Leverkusen has been on the rise under coach Xabi Alonso, who played for Mourinho at Real Madrid, but Roma had the upper hand at Stadio Olimpico.
Edoardo Bove scored the decider in the 63rd. The 20-year-old midfielder netted his first European goal on a rebound with a left-foot strike after goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky saved the initial attempt by forward Tammy Abraham.
In the first half, Hradecky kept the visitors in game by saving a Roger Ibañez header from çlose range.
Jeremie Frimpong failed to capitalize on Roma goalkeeper Rui Patrício’s blunder in a clear chance to equalize.
EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE
Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio led West Ham’s second-half rally to beat AZ Alkmaar 2-1 at London Stadium.
Benrahma converted from the spot to erase the Dutch team’s lead before Antonio scored from close range.
Tijjani Reijnders put the visitors ahead four minutes before halftime with a strike from outside the area.
It was a rare chance for the Dutch at this stage.
The Hammers have been waiting for a European trophy since the 1965 title in the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
In Florence, Zeki Amdouni scored in stoppage time as Basel came from a goal down to stun Fiorentina 2-1. Andy Diouf had equalized in the 71st minute.
In the first half, Fiorentina kept attacking with Basel holding firm at Stadio Artemio Franchi until Arthur Cabral headed in the opening goal for the hosts following a corner kick in the 25th. It was the seventh goal for the striker, making him the top scorer in the competition.
