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Europa League | Semi-Finals
May 14, 2015 at 8.05pm UK
 
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1-0

Seleznyov (58')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Player Ratings: Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1-0 Napoli

Sports Mole looks at who stood out during Dnipro's 1-0 victory over Napoli, a result that put the Ukrainian side into the final of the Europa League.

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk sealed a place in their first ever European final courtesy of a 2-1 aggregate victory over Napoli in the last four of the Europa League this evening.

The only goal of the second leg came from Yevhen Seleznyov, who nodded home under heavy pressure to seal a 1-0 victory for his side in Kiev.

Here, Sports Mole looks at who stood out during a historic night for the home side.

FC Dnipro's Yevhen Seleznyov celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg football match FC Dnipro vs SSC Napoli, on May 14, 2015© Getty Images



DNIPRO

Goal

Denis Boyko: Man of the match in the first leg and not far off the award again tonight. Made one vital stop from Higuain early on before denying the same player with an equally good save later in the half. Again, looked a little uneasy coming for high balls at times, but has been the key figure for Dnipro over the two legs. (7/10)

Defence

Artem Fedetskiy: Solid showing at right-back, keeping Insigne quiet down his flank. Wasn't able to get forward too much, but carried out his defensive duties well. (6/10)

Douglas: Another towering display at the heart of the defence, leading by example as Dnipro rebuffed attack after attack from Napoli, who rarely looked like getting through in the second half. (7/10)

Evgeniy Cheberyachko: A good foil for his centre-back partner. Did his work a bit more under the radar than Douglas, but it was no less important. (7/10)

Leo Matos: Dealt with the threat of Callejon comfortably, preventing the Spaniard from ever really getting into the match. (7/10)

Midfield

Jaba Kankava: Right in the thick of it throughout for Dnipro. Did a fine job of shielding his defence and also helped to launch a number of Dnipro attacks. (7/10)

Valeriy Fedorchuk: Helped Kankava to break up the Napoli attacks time after time. Not quite as dominant as the Georgian, but an important contribution nonetheless. (6/10)

Valeriy Luchkevych: Worked his socks off for the cause, but missed a good chance in the second half and struggled to limit Ghoulam's influence on the match. (6/10)

Ruslan Rotan: Better from set pieces than he was last week, which is often his most dangerous weapon. Struggled to get involved much in open play, though. (6/10)

Yevhen Konoplyanka: Was quickly surrounded by a number of Napoli defenders every time he got the ball, but that didn't stop him. Made a few really bright runs down the left flank in the second half especially, one of which ended with the cross that provided the only goal of the game. (8/10)

Attack

Yevhen Seleznyov: Got the crucial goal with a really good header that saw him hold off a defender to nod it past the keeper. Gave everything on his own up front and deserved his ovation when he was taken off. (7/10)

Substitutes

Matheus Nascimento: Hit the woodwork late on having beaten the offside trap with a well-timed run. A really bright cameo. (7/10)

Nikola Kalinic: Introduced 15 minutes from time and did a good job relieving some pressure late on, chasing everything down just as Seleznyov had. (6/10)

Bruno Gama: Only handed four minutes at the end and did not have enough time to make an impact. (6/10)



NAPOLI

Goal

Mario Andujar: Made a couple of smart stops but found himself stranded for the goal, being beaten far too easily. Was also caught in no-man's land when Matheus hit the bar late on. (5/10)

Defence

Christian Maggio: Got forward well and pinned Konoplyanka back in the first leg, but the roles were reversed today. Struggled up against the tricky winger and offered little going forward either. (5/10)

Raul Albiol: Wasn't given an easy ride by Seleznyov, but remained solid throughout. Made a number of good interceptions and was able to play the ball out from the back well. (6/10)

Miguel Britos: Was on course for a decent performance before being outmuscled by Seleznyov for the goal. The two tussled as the cross came in, and Britos came off second best. (5/10)

Faouzi Ghoulam: Unlike Maggio on the opposite flank, was able to get forward often and whipped a number of dangerous crosses into the box. Sometimes left too much space behind him that Dnipro exploited, but Napoli needed to take such risks tonight. (7/10)

Midfield

David Lopez: Goalscorer in the first leg but endured a much more difficult evening in this one. Was far too sloppy in possession, giving the ball away in dangerous positions more than once before being taken off with just over 10 minutes remaining. (5/10)

Gokhan Inler: Threaded a fine pass through to Higuain for a one-on-one, but that was comfortably the highlight of his performance tonight. (6/10)

Jose Callejon: Saw plenty of the ball, but rarely used it wisely. He could not get the better of his man and endured an unsuccessful and frustrating evening. (5/10)

Manolo Gabbiadini: Replaced Hamsik following his recent goalscoring exploits, but the risk to play from him the start did not pay off. His most notable moments came with a few first-half fouls, and he was eventually taken off 10 minutes after the interval. (5/10)

Lorenzo Insigne: Subdued performance from the winger, who failed to stamp his authority on the match. Never got into the game before being taken off just after the hour. (5/10)

Attack

Gonzalo Higuain: Had the chances to win the match yet again, but once more found himself thwarted by Boyko. Missed one glorious opening early on as well as seeing a flicked header saved later in the first half, growing increasingly frustrated from that point on. (5/10)

Substitutes

Marek Hamsik: Replaced Gabbiadini just 10 minutes into the second half and offered a little more in the final third, but not enough to unlock the defence. (6/10)

Dries Mertens: A lively 30-minute cameo. Looked like Napoli's most dangerous player during his time on the field, although he was largely limited to long-range efforts. (7/10)

Henrique: Came on for the final 11 minutes but could not turn the game in his side's favour. (6/10)


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FC Dnipro's Yevhen Seleznyov celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg football match FC Dnipro vs SSC Napoli, on May 14, 2015
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