Sevilla 2-2 Istanbul Basaksehir Champions League qualifier: match report
Valencia - Juventus live: Champions League 2018/19
Sevilla 2-2 Istanbul Basaksehir: match report
Sevilla booked their place in Thursday's Champions League draw at the expense of Istanbul Basaksehir in Tuesday night at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan despite some very nervy moments in the first and second halves. In what was an intense display by both teams and at times erratic, Sevilla never truly lost control though and Eduardo Berizzo can look towards his first Champions League group stages as a manager in his first year at the club
With temperatures reaching close to 40 degrees, it was always going to be a heated affair but when Eljero Elia poked home a low Junior Caicara cross after 17 minutes, Sevilla might not have been expecting to get as hot under the collar that early.
The game ebbed and flowed for the remainder of the half with Joaquin Correa in particular impressing and Istanbul Basaksehir giving as good as they got but Sevilla could not pull away and Istanbul Basaksehir could not pull level as the half-time whistle blew.
Sevilla started the second half and seemed to have figured out their opponents, or at least figured out how they wanted to approach the game.
That became even more apparent after 52 minutes when the impressive Jesus Navas lifted a cross to the back post where an incoming Sergio Escudero sent it to the net with his head.
Sevilla could rest slightly easier at that stage and when on 75 minutes, substitute Nolito broke free and so desperately wanted to shoot himself but opted to play it out wide, Wissam Ben Yedder doubled the Andalucian's lead to 2-0 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate. If the atmosphere in the Sanchez Pizjuan was not one of an official party, it was getting close to it.
It was game over, or so they, and we, thought.
Substitute Stefano Napoleoni laid a pass off to Edin Visca after 83 minutes, who found himself unmarked as he drove a shot past Sergio Rico to give Sevilla something to worry about for the last ten minutes.
When Clement Lenglet pulled down Emre Belozoglu just outside the box as regular time expired, it was the kind of stuff nightmares are made of for Eduardo Berizzo and Sevilla fans - their mood shifting immediately. What followed was almost worse as Belozoglu struck with his left and the ball struck the post only to bounce awy to safety.
The calls from the fans was to blow it up but the Turks kept pushing while the clock kept rolling. They wouldn't have another chance as good as the free though and when Willie Collum blew his final whistle, there was a sigh of relief from the stands and the sidelines.
In his first year as their manager, Eduardo Berizzo has directed the club to the Champions League via the qualifiers and whatever comes after that nervy night in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan surely won't be half as anxiety-inducing as as the last few minutes against Istanbul Basaksehir.
Sevilla vs Istanbul Basaksehir live stream online: latest news
Sevilla vs Istanbul Basaksehir live stream online: preview
Sevilla welcome Basaksehir to the Estadio Rámon Sánchez Pizjuán on Tuesday evening with a 2-1 advantage from the first leg of their Champions League play-off.
Well-taken goals by Sergio Escudero and Wissam Ben Yedder, either side of an Eljero Elia equaliser, secured a positive result for Los Nervionenses as the rain poured down in Istanbul. A place in the Champions League group stages awaits if Eduardo Berizzo's team can see out the tie on home turf.
Sevilla
Berizzo rotated his team for the LaLiga opener against Espanyol, which ended in a 1-1 draw. The Argentina coach, who replaced his compatriot Jorge Sampaoli at the Andalusian club this summer, clearly had one eye on qualifying for the Champions League for the third consecutive season.
Sevilla will be without Daniel Carriço, who is suffering from a hamstring complaint. Franco Vázquez is on the road to recovery, but this match may come too soon. Midfielder Ever Banega received a red card in the draw against Espanyol, but the ban will only apply to domestic competitions.
Istanbul Basaksehir
The Turkish Süper Lig club arrived at this stage of the competition following a 5-3 aggregate victory over Club Brugge in the previous round, and a mixed start to the domestic season. Abdullah Avci's team began the season with a 1-0 victory over Bursaspor, before falling to a 3-1 defeat to Karabukspor in the second match of the campaign.
Basaksehir have never won an away match in European competition, having drawn two and lost two of their games away from Istanbul. The Rámon Sánchez Pizjuán will not be an easy hunting ground for that elusive victory.
Defenders Aurelien Chedjou and Egemen Korkmaz are both injured, while striker Megmet Batdal is also out of action.
Sevilla vs Istanbul Basaksehir live stream online: probable line-ups
Probable Sevilla XI: Rico; Lenglet, Mercado, Pareja, Escudero; Banega, Pizarro, N'Zonzi; Navas, Ben Yedder, Correa.
Probable Basaksehir XI: Babacan; Epureanu, Attamah, Caiçara, Clichy; Elia, Inler, Emre, Visca; Mossoró, Adebayor.
Sevilla vs Istanbul Basaksehir live stream online: odds and betting
Sevilla are formidable at home in Europe, and a 2-0 victory appears decent value at 7/1.