Youssef En-Nesyri (C) of Sevilla celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg match between Juventus and Sevilla at Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, May 11, 2023. /CFP
Federico Gatti headed home in the 97th minute to earn Juventus a 1-1 draw against Sevilla in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday.
Youssef En-Nesyri gave the record six-time champions the lead in the first half and they seemed set to take that advantage back to Seville before Gatti's late intervention.
Federico Gatti (C) of Juventus scores a header during the match at Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, May 11, 2023. /CFP
Moroccan international En-Nesyri finished a sharp counter-attack in the 26th minute to break the deadlock in Turin.
"It's a shame, given the game that we played, that they levelled in the last play of the match, but it is what it is," said Sevilla manager Jose Luis Mendilibar.
"We stopped Juventus in every moment and we played well at times too, we have to think about that, not the last moment of the game."
Leonardo Bonucci (C) celebrates with his teammates on his 500th appearance with Juventus after the match at Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, May 11, 2023. /CFP
It was another Juventus substitution which proved crucial. Veteran defender Leonardo Bonucci, on his 500th appearance in all competitions for Juventus, was taken off with a groin injury for Gatti after an hour.
Also on Thursday, Edoardo Bove fired Roma to a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in a tight first leg of their Europa League semi-final.
Bove scored the only goal of the game in the 63rd minute at the Stadio Olimpico, allowing Jose Mourinho's side to take a slender lead into next week's second leg in Germany.
Edoardo Bove of Roma celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg match between Roma and Bayer Leverkusen at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, May 11, 2023. /CFP
The win gives Mourinho the chance to reach his second European final in as many years as Roma coach after winning the Europa Conference League last season.
"It's all down to the boys tonight who played with desire and the right mentality," Mourinho said to Sky Sport.
"I have put in a lot of miles over the course of my career but even I really felt the support of the fans tonight and the boys responded with the desire to make them happy."
"Roma were a bit more dangerous in the second half, but we had the feeling that we could beat them in their own backyard," said Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
"It's not the best result for us but it could have been worse."
(With input from AFP)