At the final whistle there was applause and then at one end of this stadium they began to bounce about, chanting about how proud they were of the team that soon came over to clap them back. At the same time, Bayern Munich’s players headed to the other end. It had not been easy but they had won 2-1, taking an important lead into the second leg. There is still the Allianz Arena to come, but the reaction from the Sánchez Pizjuán felt final, like the fans here knew they had probably reached the end of the road. It is 60 years since Sevilla have come so far and there was reason to be satisfied even if there was reason to be a little sad too. For Bayern, this is familiar territory, but the next step will be harder.

Sevilla always knew this would be difficult, the banner depicting them as Asterix and Obelix spread across one end expressing the enormity of what they had before them, but they had come to believe. “Sevilla score a goal,” the fans sang as the clock ran down. They had scored one in the first half, through Pablo Sarabia, but an own goal from Jesús Navas and a header from Thiago Alcântara had seen Bayern recover to take a 2-1 lead. Now Sevilla tried to find the equaliser but it was not to be. If Manchester was historic, they will have to do something even more extraordinary in Munich.

For much of the first half, it felt perfectly possible. Carlos Joaquín Correa and Sergio Escudero had first combined as early as the second minute and it was from their left wing that the first chance came. Escudero’s wonderful ball sought out Wissam Ben Yedder and, as Mats Hummels tried to intercept, the ball fell at the feet of Sarabia nine yards out. Sarabia, though, curled it wide. The lament did not last. Just after the half-hour Escudero delivered again, this time long towards the far post. Juan Bernat was slow to the bounce, seemingly unaware of the threat behind him, and Sarabia jumped in front, controlling on the chest and finishing, running to the corner redeemed.

Bayern’s Thiago Alcântara scores his side’s second goal with a diving header. Photograph: Miguel Morenatti/AP

The noise, already deafening, found a way of increasing somehow, the roar rolling round, but Bayern took just six minutes to draw level, fortune favouring them. James Rodríguez received from Thomas Müller and, amid the din, spread the play to the left where Franck Ribéry ran at the Sevilla defence. Opening out his body to bend the ball in right-footed, Ribéry instead hit Navas; the ball changed direction and squeezed past David Soria at the near post. Until then a simple catch from Thiago’s long shot was as difficult as it got for a goalkeeper surprisingly included ahead of Sergio Rico.

It got harder in a second half that began with another deflection from Ribéry threatening to catch him again. And while Javi Martínez had to be alert to nick the ball away from Franco Vázquez, this game had tilted. Bayern took control and slowly pushed Sevilla back; James and Ribéry were more involved now, seeking to turn the screw, even if Robert Lewandowski remained almost entirely uninvolved and to begin with real chances were few.

Soria made a superb save from Martínez’s sidefooted volley; Ben Yedder had to make a sharp intervention from Hummels, roles reversed; and then Ribéry clipped a looping ball to the far post where Thiago’s diving header bounced up, via Escudero, and evaded Soria to make it 2-1. Again, a deflection had played a part but Bayern deserved the lead and now they looked to extend it, Soria pushing away James’s shot. And yet Sevilla were revived, seeking a way back. N’Zonzi went close, Sandro drew a superb save from Sven Ulreich and Vázquez could not find a way through. Bayern will feel that they should find a way through to another semi-final next week.