Three from Auba send Arsenal to the Europa League final
TO cap an extraordinary week in European football, Arsenal won away last night.
Or to be more precise, the two-man strike force of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – who grabbed a hattrick – and Alexandre Lacazette simply destroyed Valencia to put the Gunners in the Europa League final.
And after failing to finish in the top four, Unai Emery’s side can still reach the Champions League following a textbook display of counter-attacking brilliance back in his homeland at a club he once managed.
The Arsenal boss won this competition three times with Sevilla and can do it again with Aubameyang and Lacazette, who between them scored all three in the first leg, in this devastating form.
And Petr Cech will bring down the curtain on his magnificent career in a European final in Baku.
The only English team to take a lead into the second legs this week eventually won with some comfort.
But in an electric atmosphere in the Mestalla Stadium, they had been stung early on.
Laurent Koscielny had already blocked a Kevin Gameiro cross and Goncalo Guedes fired over before Ainsley Maitland-Niles raced forward from wing-back to shoot. Saved by Neto, Valencia counterattacked down the exposed right flank and Rodrigo’s cross was deflected into the path of Gameiro at the far post.
The lead lasted only six minutes as Valencia’s momentum was stalled by Arsenal’s front two. Lacazette flicked on and Aubameyang chested down the ball before firing home coolly.
Aubameyang returned the favour before the break with a solo run down the right before setting up Lacazette but the Frenchman’s shot clipped the outside of a post.
The second away goal came five minutes after the break. Lucas Torreira picked out Lacazette and although he had a heavy first touch, he drilled home from 20 yards.
Although Arsenal have two world-class forwards they can still defend like a pub team. On 58 minutes, Gameiro brought Valencia level on the night after intercepting Rodrigo’s cross and bundling home.
The Frenchman, who won this competition three times with Emery at Sevilla and also last season with Atletico Madrid, has scored 11 goals in his last 12 Europa League games.
But any fears of another European fightback ended when Aubameyang converted Maitland-Niles’ low near-post cross after 69 minutes and lashed home his third late on. VALENCIA: ARSENAL: REFEREE: ATTENDANCE:
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