Bacca brace inspires Sevilla comebacks in Europa League final

Former Gunners forward Jose Antonio Reyes, on what may have been his last slipped a delicious through-ball over to Bacca, who timed his run superbly before racing clear and rounding Boyko.

An absorbing first-half continued with Dnipro responding in kind. Ukraine winger Yevhen Konoplyanka saw s sublime curling effort tipped over by Sevilla stopper Sergio Rico at full-stretch. Strikes like this are why the out-of-contract Dnipro man is a rumoured targed for Premier League clubs.

Dnipro went in at the break level when skipper Ruslan Rotan netted a cute free-kick, getting just enough on his effort to get the ball over the Bathtubs’ wall and inside the near post beyond Rico’s despairing dive.

Finely poised throughout the second-half, it was Ukraniain outfit Dnipro’s inability to clear their lines which ultimately proved to be their Achilles’ heel. Spain winger Vitolo squeezed a ball through to Bacca for him to blast in for his second 17 minutes from time to restore Sevilla’s lead when goal-side of Fedetskiy.

Bacca was later denied his hat-trick by Boyko with a superb reaction stop to a powerful header, but his otherwise lethal accuracy brought Emery and the Bathtubs another Europa League triumph.

With all-action operator Aleix Vidal looking a natural in his new role at right back and Barcelona in the market for someone like him, La Liga’s elite could circle for Sevilla stars.

Unlike last summer, however, when assists machine Ivan Rakitic and Federico Fazio were sold as the price for European success, getting into the Champions League for next term may make the Bathtubs better placed to keep hold of key personnel.