Sevilla 3-1 Shakhtar Donetsk (agg 5-3)

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Kevin Gameiro scoresImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Kevin Gameiro scored three times in the tie

Sevilla remain on course to win a record third consecutive Europa League title after they beat Shakhtar Donetsk to set up a final against Liverpool.

After a 2-2 first-leg draw in Ukraine, the Spaniards took control when Kevin Gameiro raced clear to score early on.

Former Arsenal striker Eduardo equalised with a close-range finish just before half-time.

But Gameiro tapped in his second after the break and Mariano smashed in from 25 yards to send Sevilla through.

French forward Gameiro proved the difference in the tie, scoring three goals over the two legs to take his tally to 28 for the season and he is likely to be the main threat in the final against Liverpool, who overcame Villarreal 3-1 on aggregate in the other semi-final.

It is not just the trophy at stake when the two sides meet in Switzerland, with the winner guaranteed a place in the group stages of next season's Champions League.

And for Sevilla, there is also the opportunity to add to their own illustrious history in this competition.

No team has won the Europa League - or its predecessor the Uefa Cup - on three consecutive occasions, with Sevilla (2006 and 2007, 2014 and 2015) and Real Madrid (1985 and 1986) the only sides to have retained the trophy.

That could change in Basel on 18 May, when Unai Emery's side look to do to Liverpool what they did to Dnipro last year and Benfica in 2014, and in the process lift the trophy for a fifth time - another record.

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