UEFA.com's Europa League team of the week
Friday, April 24, 2015
Article summary
Hulk stars in our second-leg XI after his superb strike in a losing cause, along with a veteran midfielder, a goalscoring defender and an influential Ukrainian duo.
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GK: Mariano Andújar (SSC Napoli)
With Napoli in command after the first leg, the onus was on VfL Wolfsburg and they kept the keeper busy throughout. Two fine first-half saves, denying Ivan Perišić and Nicklas Bendtner, kept it 0-0 and there was little the 31-year-old could do about the second-half goals.
DF: Antunes (FC Dynamo Kyiv)
The Portuguese full-back did not have a moment's rest against ACF Fiorentina, with ten men or 11. His distribution was not great (there were few options at times), but defensively he worked overtime and made six tackles plus five interceptions.
DF: Igor Smolnikov (FC Zenit)
Unfortunate to depart the competition after an all-action display at both ends. Cleared off the line to deny Carlos Bacca, drove forward with vigour on the right flank and a series of probing diagonal balls pulled Sevilla open on a number of occasions.
DF: Timm Klose (VfL Wolfsburg)
The towering defender was making only his 12th appearance of the season for Wolfsburg but looked up to speed and coped well with Napoli's attacking threat. He also got on the scoresheet to spark the comeback, getting the better of Raúl Albiol and heading in from a corner.
MF: David Pizarro (ACF Fiorentina)
The Chilean is 35 now, but showed little sign of slowing up as he directed the Viola's midfield with style. He was the pass master against FC Dynamo Kyiv, and well deserved the standing ovation he received when he was replaced by Alberto Aquiliani late on.
MF: Vitolo (Sevilla FC)
His side were under pressure for long spells, but the 25-year-old masterminded their counterattacking game. Winning an early penalty with a burst into the box, he also made the decisive break to set up Kevin Gameiro's late strike.
MF: Yevhen Konoplyanka (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
Dnipro's creator-in-chief was a constant threat when cutting inside from the left wing. The Ukrainian international unsettled Club Brugge KV with his strong running throughout and merited a goal, but was once again thwarted by Australian custodian Mathew Ryan.
MF: Ivan Perišić (VfL Wolfsburg)
The Croatian knew his side were facing a near-impossible task against Napoli but produced a tireless display, switching flanks throughout as he sought space to craft an opening. The performance was capped by a brave header that earned a draw and a cut to the head.
MF: Yevhen Shakhov (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
Introduced at half-time, the No28 made a telling contribution as his side secured a historic triumph in Kyiv. In the playmaker role behind Yevhen Seleznyov, the 24-year-old registered via a deflected shot to write his name into Dnipro folklore.
FW: Joaquín (ACF Fiorentina)
A thorn in Dynamo Kyiv's right side throughout, the winger helped wrest the initiative early on for the Viola and they never relinquished it. Teed up a fine early chance for Mario Gomez with a whipped-in cross and a carbon copy just before the break created the opener.
FW: Hulk (FC Zenit)
For his goal alone he would make the team, but he contributed far more and could have walked away with a tie-stealing hat-trick. The strike cannot be ignored, however, the Brazilian combining vision, power and precision as he spotted Beto off his line to lob him from 40 metres wide on the right.