Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko’s extra-time goal earned West Ham United a 2-0 win over Sevilla on Thursday and took the English side into the Europa League quarter-finals.
Yarmolenko had been granted compassionate leave after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and missed West Ham’s 1-0 loss in the first leg in Spain due to illness.
He reacted sharply to a rebound, however, to send the London club into a European quarter-final for the first time since 1981 and knock out Sevilla, the record six-times winners of the competition.
Yarmolenko gave his shirt to a fan with a Ukraine flag as he celebrated a win that started when Tomas Soucek headed in Michail Antonio’s cross at the far post to put West Ham in front five minutes before halftime.
The teams finished deadlocked at 1-1 on aggregate after 90 minutes.
“Unbelievable! This season is like a dream come true,” Antonio told BT Sport.
“Yarmolenko is such a lovely guy. I can’t imagine what he’s going through. He’s got a finishing touch now. Hopefully, he can keep doing it.”
It was the second extra-time loss on the night for the two Seville teams trying to reach the final in their home city.
Real Betis went out after Eintracht Frankfurt secured a 1-1 draw with a own-goal from Guido Rodriguez in the dying seconds as a penalty shootout loomed, going through 2-1 on aggregate.
Olympique Lyonnais held Porto to a 1-1 draw and also advanced to the last eight 2-1 on aggregate.
They will join Barcelona, Rangers, Braga, Atalanta and RB Leipzig in the quarter-final draw on Friday.
