Sevilla and Espanyol will play in an all-Spanish Uefa Cup final.
Sevilla, the tournament’s defending champion, advanced on Thursday after beating Osasuna 2-0 in the second leg of the semifinals and 2-1 on aggregate. Espanyol reached the last game by beating Werder Bremen 2-1 and 5-1 on aggregate.
The final will be played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 16, with Sevilla trying to become the first team since Real Madrid in 1986 to win back-to-back Uefa Cup titles.
Luis Fabiano gave Sevilla the lead in the 37th minute, collecting the ball at the edge of the area and beating two defenders before sliding the ball under Osasuna goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez. Renato scored the second in the 53rd by poking a cross from Daniel Alves past Ricardo.
Luis Fabiano also scored the first goal in last year’s Uefa Cup final, when Sevilla beat Middlesbrough 4-0.
Besides the Uefa Cup, Sevilla are trying to win the Spanish league title and Copa del Rey this year.
Osasuna, making their first appearance in the semifinals of any European competition, packed their midfield with players and left Achille Webo as a lone attacker in an attempt to protect their 1-0 lead. Webo was replacing Roberto Soldado, who scored the lone goal in the first leg but was suspended for the second.
Hugo Almeida gave Bremen an early lead after a defensive mix-up in the fourth minute. Almeida scored from outside the area after Espanyol goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz came off his line to challenge the Bremen striker for the ball.
But Miroslav Klose, the leading scorer at last year’s World Cup, then got his second yellow card for taking a dive and was sent off in the 20th. On Tuesday, Klose rejected an offer from Bayern Munich to stay with Bremen next season.
Ferran Corominas equalised for Espanyol in the 50th by scoring after Bremen goalkeeper Andreas Reinke could only palm away a shot by Albert Riera. Jesus Mari Lacruz headed in another in the 60th.
Espanyol played without the suspended Walter Pandiani, who leads the competition with 11 goals this season. Bremen played without starting goalkeeper Tim Wiese, who missed the game because he got a red card in the first leg. — Sapa-AP