VILA-REAL, Spain: Adrian Lopez’s stoppage-time winner put Villarreal on the verge of reaching their first ever Cup final with a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday.
A game of few chances was decided by a brilliant goal at the death as Denis Suarez unselfishly squared for substitute Lopez to tap home from close range.
Roberto Firmino fired Liverpool’s best chance against the post in the second-half as Jurgen Klopp’s men now need another famous European comeback at Anfield to reach the final in Basel on May 18.
Sevilla are well-placed to reach a third consecutive Europa League final as they drew 2-2 away at Shakhtar Donetsk in the other semi-final.
The 96 Liverpool fans who died at the Hillsborough tragedy 27 years ago were remembered before kick-off days after the biggest inquest in English legal history found they had been unlawfully killed.
Villarreal fans held aloft a banner reading “96 You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Once the action got underway, Liverpool had the first chance when Joe Allen’s low shot from Adam Lallana’s deflected cross was placed too close to Sergio Asenjo.
Villarreal went onto enjoy the better of an intense first-half short on goalmouth action.
