Sevilla advance despite PSV loss as goalkeeper is attacked by fan

 

[February 24, 2023]  EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (Reuters) -Luuk de Jong and Fabio Silva snatched late goals for PSV Eindhoven as they beat Sevilla 2-0 in the second leg of their Europa League knockout stage playoff on Thursday, but the Spanish club advanced 3-2 on aggregate.

The match was halted in the closing stages after a supporter ran on to the pitch and assaulted Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic, punching him in the face before being wrestled to the ground by the Serbian.

"I have never seen anything like it," Dmitrovic told Movistar Plus as a red bruise could be seen on his neck.

"I'll keep my mouth shut so I don't say what I would really like to do in that moment.

"He wanted to hurt me, it's a shame that something like this happens in football field. UEFA must intervene."

De Jong had netted in the 77th minute against his old club to offer PSV hope of a late revival and had the ball in the net again seven minutes later, only to be flagged offside.

After the incident involving Dmitrovic, substitute Silva added a second five minutes into stoppage time but the Dutch club ran out of time to complete a sensational comeback.

Sevilla held off the late challenge to ensure progress in a competition they have won more than any other team. They have a combined six UEFA Cup and Europa League triumphs, the last in 2020.

The Spanish club kept up an attacking approach at the Philips Stadium after a dominant first leg and came closest to a first goal when Ivan Rakitic hammered the ball against the PSV crossbar in the 67th minute.

Soccer Football - Europa League - Play-Off Second Leg - PSV Eindhoven v Sevilla - Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands - February 23, 2023 PSV Eindhoven's Luuk de Jong celebrates scoring their first goal with Fabio Silva REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw

There were also good opportunities for Bryan Gil and Youssef En-Nesyri as Sevilla dominated the early exchanges.

It took 56 minutes for PSV to win their first corner as they belatedly put the visitors under pressure and should have taken the lead when Johan Bakayoko missed from an acute angle.

De Jong took down a long ball to score through the legs of Marko Dmitrovic and the stadium erupted when he found the net again, only to be denied by the linesman's flag.

The game restarted following the incident involving Dmitrovic and with only seconds remaining Silva stroked home from close range to ensure a respectable look to the scoresheet for Ruud van Nistelrooy's young team.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town and Fernando Kallas in Madrid; Editing by Ed Osmond)

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