Chelsea reached the Europa League semi-finals by beating Slavia Prague 4-3 in a roller-coaster game.
Chelsea winger Pedro (second from left) struck a brace in the first half
London:
With the Stamford Bridge crowd increasingly unsettled, and Slavia being roared on by its travelling fans, Sevcik spurned a chance. But Chelsea, having won the first leg 1-0, held on to set up a semi against Eintracht, which beat visiting Benfica 2-0 to go through on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate scoreline.
There was little hint of tension to come when Chelsea raced to a 3-0 lead within 17 minutes. For the opening goal, Pedro chipped goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar after exchanging passes with Cesar Azpilicueta and Olivier Giroud. The Spain winger hit the post four minutes later only for the ball to rebound off Simon Deli’s face for an own goal.
It was Pedro who carved out Chelsea’s third as he squared the ball for a simple finish by Giroud. The Spaniard claimed the host’s fourth in the 27th minute when he converted a rebound after Kolar saved a shot from Giroud. A minute earlier, Slavia’s captain Tomas Soucek had given the boisterous Czech fans something to cheer. He powered in a header from a corner, leaving the door open for the visitor’s improbable attempt to turn the game around.
Valencia strolls into final four
Valencia eased into the Europa League final four for the first time in five years with a comfortable 2-0 home win against fellow Spaniard Villarreal. The home side booked a spot in the semi-finals after a resounding 5-1 aggregate scoreline. Toni Lato and Dani Parejo scored the goals that secured the victory and set up a meeting with Premier League side Arsenal, which is coached by former Valencia boss Unai Emery.
The London side was helped by a Pedro brace in a first half onslaught before it withstood a comeback bid by the Czechs after the break. Chelsea, which will face Eintracht Frankfurt in the last four, was cruising 4-1 at half-time but Slavia’s Petr Sevcik slammed home two strikes early in the second period, narrowing the aggregate score to 5-3.
With the Stamford Bridge crowd increasingly unsettled, and Slavia being roared on by its travelling fans, Sevcik spurned a chance. But Chelsea, having won the first leg 1-0, held on to set up a semi against Eintracht, which beat visiting Benfica 2-0 to go through on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate scoreline.
There was little hint of tension to come when Chelsea raced to a 3-0 lead within 17 minutes. For the opening goal, Pedro chipped goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar after exchanging passes with Cesar Azpilicueta and Olivier Giroud. The Spain winger hit the post four minutes later only for the ball to rebound off Simon Deli’s face for an own goal.
It was Pedro who carved out Chelsea’s third as he squared the ball for a simple finish by Giroud. The Spaniard claimed the host’s fourth in the 27th minute when he converted a rebound after Kolar saved a shot from Giroud. A minute earlier, Slavia’s captain Tomas Soucek had given the boisterous Czech fans something to cheer. He powered in a header from a corner, leaving the door open for the visitor’s improbable attempt to turn the game around.
Valencia strolls into final four
Valencia eased into the Europa League final four for the first time in five years with a comfortable 2-0 home win against fellow Spaniard Villarreal. The home side booked a spot in the semi-finals after a resounding 5-1 aggregate scoreline. Toni Lato and Dani Parejo scored the goals that secured the victory and set up a meeting with Premier League side Arsenal, which is coached by former Valencia boss Unai Emery.