Sevilla boss Unai Emery relieved to avoid Europa League elimination

Sevilla manager Unai Emery has expressed his relief at reaching the knockout phase of the Europa League following his side's 1-0 victory against Rijeka.

The Spaniard said that he is satisfied with his team's European campaign so far as he believes they have navigated a challenging group.

"We are satisfied as we knew the difficulty of the group," he told reporters. "We have that touch of humility to know that we have to respect all teams.

"We are pleased and excited about the Europa League this season. Today we lacked a bit of aggression and perhaps we dropped some strength in midfield.

"The Europa League is parked until February, though. This competition has taken a step forward and there are better teams in it this season."

Sevilla reached the last 32 of the competition as Group G runners-up behind Feyenoord.