Villarreal have secured a place in the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 4-2 victory over Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic on Thursday evening.
Cedric Bakambu scored twice, while Samu Castillejo and Bruno also added to the scoreline as the Spanish outfit progressed 6-3 on aggregate.
Borek Dockal and Ladislav Krejci managed to pull two goals back for Sparta, but it was not enough to inspire a comeback.
Discover how the game unfolded in Sports Mole's text commentary below.
7.00pmEvening all! We have another night of European football to bring you as the Europa League semi-finalists will be decided this evening. Liverpool face Borussia Dortmund in a crunch tie at Anfield, while Sevilla and Athletic go head to head in Spain. Shakhtar Donetsk and Braga play their quarter-final second leg later this evening as well, but right here, we will take you through the showdown between Sparta Prague and Villarreal in the Czech Republic.
7.03pmVillarreal head into tonight's contest as favourites given that they have a 2-1 advantage from the first leg. Marcelino's side probably feel that they should have claimed a greater scoreline as they dominated their opponents on home soil. As it stands, though, Cedrc Bakambu's two goals are the difference, but the team need to be wary as Sparta claimed what could be an important away goal through Jakub Brabec.
7.04pmSparta do not have much success in Europe as the last time that they reached the quarter-finals of this competition was in the 1983-84 season. The Czech outfit have never progressed further than the final eight, and they are firm underdogs this evening. However, they are strong on home soil having gone unbeaten in all six of their European fixtures at the Stadion Letna.
7.05pmRight, before we go any further, let's bring you the teams that have been selected this evening.
7.06pmSPARTA PRAGUE XI: Bicik; Konate, Marecek, Kovac, Frydek; Fatai, Matejovsky, Dockal, Krejci; Lafata, Julis
7.08pmVILLARREAL XI: Areola; Gaspar, Bailly, Ruiz, Rukavina; Suarez, Trigueros, Soriano, Castillejo; Bakambu, Soldado
7.10pmSparta have an unfortunate injury list as Zahustel, Holek, Mazuch and Jiracek are all out with injuries, while Brabec and Costa are suspended. The good news is that Vacha, who was a doubt with illness has been included in the squad and takes his spot on the bench.
7.11pmAs for the players on the field itself, Bicik takes a place in goal, with Konate, Marecek, Kovac and Frydek lining the back four. Fatai, Matejovsky, Dockal and Krejci are in midfield, while Lafata and Julis lead the line up front.
7.15pmAs for the visitors Villarreal, there are no places for Musacchio and Bonera due to thigh and groin injuries respectively. Gaspar, Bailly, Ruis and Rukavina will sit in defence protecting goalkeeper Areola, while Suarez, Trigueros, Soriano and Castillejo have been named in midfield. Bakambu and Roberto Soldado will provide the goal threat.
Musacchio (thigh), Bonera (groin)
7.18pmSo, now that the teams have been announced, let's have a look at how Sparta got to this stage. Well, firstly, they failed to make it to through group stage of the Champions League as they were beaten over two legs in a qualifier by CSKA Moscow. So, into the Europa League they went!
7.22pmZdenek Scasny's team began their Europa group campaign with a 3-1 win over FC Thun on home soil, but they were restricted to draws away to the Swiss side and away to Greek outfit Asteras Tripolis. Sparta returned to winning ways with a 2-0 triumph over APOEL, but Schalke 04 managed to claim a 2-2 draw against the Czechs in Russia.
7.27pmThe two sides played out another draw in Prague, but from then, the Czech side won their next two group games and scored four goals in the process. Sparta finished the phase of the competition unbeaten and were eventually drawn Krasnodar in the round-of-32 stage. The first leg at home gave Sparta the advantage as they earned a slender 1-0 win. They had no problems in the second leg either as they ran out 3-0 winners and booked themselves a spot in the final 16.
7.31pmNext up was Lazio and the tie was nicely poised for the second leg in Italy as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in Prague. Martin Frydek opened the scoring for the hosts in the 13th minute, but Lazio pulled one back eight minutes after the half-hour mark thanks to Marco Parolo.
7.35pmThe second leg in Italy was more straightforward for Sparta as they managed to keep Lazio out and scored an impressive three away goals. Dockal, Krejci and Julis all added to the scoresheet, and Sparta's performance in that game shows why they cannot be ruled out this evening.
7.37pmThe positives for Sparta are that they have only conceded three times in European competition at home this season, and they have also scored at least once in all 15 games in the Europa League.
7.40pmYesterday, the press spoke to head coach Scasny, who is quoted by UEFA's website as saying: "It is hard for me to predict what tactics Villarreal will use tomorrow. I myself am curious. They were in a similar situation before their away second leg against Leverkusen - in this game they played more defensively but still managed to carve out chances. They are still favourites.
"We're still working on our tactical options, but whatever we decide injuries mean several of our players will be playing out of position. We have called up several prospects from our Under-19 team who clinched their title on Wednesday. But I cannot give them such a harsh test at the beginning of their careers."
7.43pmWhat about Villarreal? They are in good standing following their 2-1 win in the first leg and they are vying for their first semi-final spot since 2011 when they lost to eventual winners Porto. In 2004, the Spanish outfit made it into the semis, but they failed to reach the final as they were beaten by Valencia, who went on to claim the crown.
7.44pmVillarreal did not start their group campaign off well as they lost 2-1 to Rapid Wien in their opener. They managed to recover, though, by seeing off Viktoria Plzen and then went on to grab two wins over Dinamo Minsk and another at home to Rapid Wien. Villarreal were held to a 3-3 draw by Viktoria Plzen in the away match, but they managed to finish second in the group.
7.47pmThe Spanish outfit were drawn against Napoli in the last-32 stage and they edged the first leg thanks to a single goal from Denis Suarez in the 82nd minute. In the return leg in Italy,
The game ended in a 1-1 draw, which was enough for Villarreal as they claimed a 2-1 victory on aggregate.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw, which was enough for Villarreal as they claimed a 2-1 victory on aggregate.
7.49pmIn the last-16 round, Villarreal were drawn Bayer Leverkusen, who failed to get on the scoresheet in Spain as Marcelino's outfit earned a 2-0 win on home soil. The second leg resulted in a goalless draw, but Villarreal had already done the damage.
7.51pmAhead of this game, Marcelino told the UEFA website: "There are two ways of approaching this game. One is beneficial to us, the other is negative. It would be negative for us to approach it thinking we were much the better team in the first leg, had lots of chances and could have got a much bigger win.
"The other way to look at it is like this - we were only able to win 2-1 and will have a difficult game because Sparta have shown they are a very efficient team. We have to try and concede as few chances as possible and try to be very aggressive and determined."
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7.53pmThe Spanish outfit are currently unbeaten in five games in all competitions and they are fighting for fourth in La Liga, but they have not had much luck on the road. The team have only won one of their last nine away games in all competitions.
7.55pmSo, due to Villarreal's 2-1 advantage, the Spanish side need to only avoid defeat in order to go through. Sparta will go through with a 1-0 win due to their away goal, but if they concede they will need to win by two clear goals.
8.00pmThere's five minutes to go until kickoff. Villarreal are favourites to make it through to the semis, but can Sparta cause an upset? Not long to go until we find out!
1 minKICKOFF! We're underway in Prague! English referee Martin Atkinson is the referee for this one.
2 minKrejci manages to charge with the ball into the final third before whipping a teasing cross into the area, but it's comfortably gathered by goalkeeper Areola.
3 minAt the other end, Suarez tries to create something for Villarreal as he attempts to send a volley from distance, but his attempt soars into the stands.
6 minGOAL! SPARTA 0-1 VILLARREAL (BAKAMBU)
6 minWhat a start from Villarreal and it's Bakambu again! The man who scored twice in the first leg has got an early one tonight. He gets on the end of Trigueros's through ball before slotting the ball home.
8 minSparta hunt for an equaliser as bodies get into the box and the ball is whipped in, but the flag is raised for offside.
10 minVillarreal look are starting to look uncomfortable. This time it's Dockal who tries to get on the scoresheet, but his shot soars above the bar. Just to remind you, Villarreal lead 3-1 on aggregate.
12 minSAVE! Krejci gets the ball inside the box and manages to get a shot away. It's a low shot from the Sparta man, but Areola manages to grab the ball.
14 minSparta are continuing on the frontfoot searching for an equaliser. They have been dominant on the ball and at the moment, Villarreal are being pushed back into their own half to defend.
16 minCHANCE! Krejci again tries to find the back of the net as he shoots from inside the box, but his attempt falls wide of the post.
20 minCHANCES! Villarreal come close to adding to the scoreline through Soldado, but the former Spurs man sends the ball over the bar. In response, Sparta's Dockal drills a low shot at goal, but Areola makes a stop.
24 minSparta's pressure has waned slightly and Villarreal are getting more time on the ball. Sparta will hope their early chances won't be wasted by full-time.
28 minBOOKING! Krejci goes into the book for a foul. He'll have to be careful for the rest of the game.
30 minAt the moment, Villarreal look relatively comfortable in the tie. Sparta are trying to find a way through and while they have managed to put pressure on the visitors, they are lacking that clinical touch in the final third.
35 minBOOKING! Atkinson issues a yellow card to Soldado, whose punished for infringement. The striker has been relatively quiet so far.
35 minThe visitors are awarded a free kick, but they fail to make the most of it as it gets knocked out for a corner. When the ball is sent back into the box from the corner flag, Bicik is there to collect.
39 minSparta try a different approach by launching a long ball into the area, but Areola handles the situation by pushing the ball away from danger.
40 minWIDE! So close for Krejci! The Sparta man drives into acres of space and ends up in the box. He unleashes a shot, but it just glides past the post.
41 minGOAL! SPARTA 0-2 VILLARREAL (CASTILLEJO)
43 minSurely that's pretty much wrapped it up for Villarreal?! Castellijo scores a second for the visitors after Sparta cleared Suarez's ball into the box by sending it straight to Castellijo, who struck it home.
45+1 minGOAL! SPARTA 0-3 VILLARREAL (BRUNO)
45+1 minGame over! Soriano has netted Villarreal's third on the night, which puts them 5-1 on aggregate. Castellijo makes this one as he sends the ball in from the corner flag to find Bruno, who heads it into the far corner.
45+2 minHALF-TIME: SPARTA 0-3 VILLARREAL
8.55pmThe referee blows the whistle for half-time and Villarreal are sitting pretty! Cedric Bakambu extended the Spanish side's overall advantage to 3-1 by scoring within the first six minutes of the game. As the half drew to a close, Samu Castellijo and Bruno Soriano scored to extend the Spanish side's aggregate lead to 5-1. Sparta had shown promise and put Villarreal under the cosh at times, but they have so far been lacking that threat in the final third. We'll return shortly for the second half!
45 minRESTART! We're back underway in Prague! Surely the game is beyond Sparta now, but anything can happen in football...
47 minVillarreal have started the second half with intent to score more goals. They're clearly not sitting back on their already comfortable lead. It's all them at the moment.
49 minGOAL! SPARTA 0-4 VILLARREAL (BAKAMBU)
49 minVillarreal really are punishing Sparta tonight! Bakambu gets his second of the night and fourth in the tie overall. Somehow the forward is allowed into the box unmarked and he gets on the end of Suarez's cross before sending it into the goal.
50 minWhat a great season Bakambu is having! The forward has now scored 11 goals in 10 games and he is the Europa League's joint-top scorer with nine goals to his name.
52 minCHANCE! Sparta are searching for consolation goals, and they come close to getting one. The home side are awarded a corner and the ball drops to Lafata, but his header goes over the bar.
54 minMISS! Sparta get another opportunity but it's squandered by Julis. The forward gets on the end of a cross, but his header misses the target and drops behind the goal.
57 minVILLARREAL SUB: The Spanish side make a change as Gaspar makes way for Juame Costa.
60 minThe visitors are in control at the moment and they don't look as though they are going to be pegged back. Sparta would probably prefer to end the game right now!
61 minVILLARREAL SUB: The visitors make their second change of the night as Trigueros makes way for Dos Santos.
65 minGOAL! SPARTA 1-4 VILLARREAL (DOCKAL)
65 minGame on?! Not quite... but Sparta have managed to get on the scoresheet. Dockal has been causing some threat on his own and he makes one count. It's a low effort that's drilled right into the back of the net.
68 minSecond yellow?! No says the referee. Soldado brings down Frydek as both went for the ball in the air, but the referee keeps his cards in his pocket. Another booking would have resulted in red for Soldado.
71 minGOAL! SPARTA 2-4 VILLARREAL (KREJCI)
71 minHang on, Sparta have another! Surely a comeback isn't on the cards? Krejci is the man to get his side a second goal as the ball is played across the face of goal allowing Krejci to get a touch and nudge it into the far post.
74 minCLOSE! Sparta have their tails up here! The ball falls for Matejovsky on the edge of the area and he tries to sweep it past the keeper, but his attempt goes wide.
78 minBOOKINGS! Both Konate and Castillejo go into the book. Atkinson has given yellow cards to seven players so far tonight.
82 minCHANCE! Konate gets on the ball and drills a low cross into the box from the right. It ends up in Lafata's path, but his volley misses the target and falls wide.
87 minSAVE! Kovac tests the keeper by getting plenty of power behind his shot, but the keeper makes a decent stop.
90+3 minWe have three additional minutes to play. Villarreal look to see this out comfortably.
90+4 minFULL-TIME: SPARTA 2-4 VILLARREAL
10.02pmVillarreal are into the Europa League semi-finals! The Spanish outfit earned a 4-2 victory over Sparta Prague on the night and they have eased into the final four with a 6-3 triumph on aggregate. That's all from us tonight! Thank you for joining us, and until next time, goodbye!
