Wolverhampton Wanderers clashed heads with Sevilla at the MSV-Arena earlier tonight looking to pick up a victory so that they can seal a place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League. The West Midlands outfit struggled to get hold of the ball in the first 45 minutes, but got a golden chance to score the opener when Adama Traore earned a penalty in the 11th minute. However, Raul Jimenez failed to convert the resulting spot-kick, which meant that both sides went into the half-time break with nothing to split them.
The Spanish outfit enjoyed more possession after the half-time break, but failed to make their superiority count. However, Lucas Ocampos popped up with the decisive opener in the 87th minute when he scored with a powerful header from close range. The contest ended with Wolves suffering a heart-breaking 1-0 loss versus Julen Lopetegui’s men.
Let’s take a look at how each Wolves player fared during the match against Sevilla.
GK: Rui Patricio – 6.5/10
The Portuguese keeper made a few routine saves throughout the 90 minutes. However, he was well-beaten when Ocampos scored with a fantastic header in the dying embers of the game.
CB: Willy Boly – 6/10
He did well to carry on after sustaining a groin problem early on in the match. Boly did well to frustrate the Sevilla attackers, but will be disappointed for conceding so late in the game.
CB: Conor Coady – 6.5/10
The Liverpool-born centre-back made a couple of crucial clearances at the back, but suffered a late heartbreak as he saw all his excellent work get undone when Ocampos found the back of the net with a classy finish.
CB: Romain Saïss – 6/10
The Morrocan defender had to deal with Suso’s threat and did enough to frustrate him for significant periods of the game. However, his defensive contributions weren’t enough in the end as Wolves conceded a late goal which ended up making the difference on the night.
RB: Matt Doherty – 6/10
Doherty produced another hardworking shift on the right side of Nuno Espirito Santo’s defence. However, he was often outfoxed by the opposition attackers out on the wide areas.
CM: Leander Dendoncker – 6.5/10
The Belgian midfield ace made a couple of important interceptions inside his half, but struggled to get involved in the attacking third.
CM: Ruben Neves – 6/10
The Portuguese playmaker tried his best to control the midfield. However, he was often outclassed by the opposition at the centre of the park.
CM: Joao Moutinho – 5/10
Moutinho squandered a glorious chance to give his team the lead, but couldn’t keep his shot down from 12 yards out. He was far from his best tonight in what was overall a disjointed performance from him.
LB: Ruben Vinagre – 7/10
The 21-year-old put in a matured performance at left-back as he was always willing to fight for every lose possession inside his half. However, he didn’t do too much going forward.
ST: Adama Traore – 7/10
The talented speedster made an incredible solo run and earned a penalty for his team early in the game. Unfortunately for him, his strike partner Raul Jimenez failed to beat Yassine Bounou with his fluffed attempt. He ran out of gas and was eventually replaced in the second half.
ST: Raul Jimenez – 5/10
The Mexican striker got his team’s best goal-scoring chances, but missed all of them as the occasion got the better of him. He will be hoping for more fruitful days in a Wolves shirt.
Substitutes:
ST: Pedro Neto – 6/10
He added some pace and energy to the Wolves frontline, but never looked like he had a goal in him.
LW: Diogo Jota – 5/10
Jota struggled to get into the game after coming off the bench as a late substitute.
