Sevilla have endured a tough season on the domestic front, only recently putting to bed fears that they could be relegated from La Liga. Yet on the European front, they have continued their excellent record in the UEFA Europa League.
Los Nervionenses are record six-time winners of the UEL and have the remarkable record of winning the competition every time that they reach the quarterfinals. That statistic looked under threat in the previous round against Manchester United, but Sevilla rallied from 0-2 down in the first leg and ended up winning the tie emphatically, 5-2.
One of the stars was Moroccan En-Nesyri, who netted twice in the return game at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and will next be taking aim at the Juventus defence for the first-leg semifinal clash in Turin on Thursday 11 May.
“It was a magic night. I’m very happy, as this season we’ve not lived these moments of euphoria, of happiness. We’ve been through a difficult moment in the Spanish league and but now we aim to change the mindset and carry on in this way,” said En-Nesyri after the triumph over the Red Devils.
“We do believe and we are dreaming – we are in the semi-finals and anything can happen at this stage. We’re playing a great opponent – Juventus are a historic club with great players, but we know the quality we have and how special this competition is.”
The 25-year-old En-Nesyri has been on Sevilla’s books since 2020, having signed from Leganes. Born in Fez, the attacker learned his craft at Morocco’s Maghreb de Fes and Mohammed VI Football Academy, before moving to Spain in 2016 to play for his first professional club, Malaga.
On the international front, En-Nesyri has been part of Morocco’s senior team since 2016, racking up 59 caps and 17 goals, including at the 2017, 2019 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to seeing one of Africa’s top footballers, En-Nesyri in action this week with the European season now in its final bend.
