Sevilla Are Europa League Champions For The Seventh Time
Written By Jacobs Dunga
Both teams played out their hearts but could not be separated after 120 minutes.
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Roma and Sevilla played out a keenly contested Europa League final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Both teams came into the final with Sevilla having never lost a Europa League final while on the other end, Jose Mourinho came protecting his 100% record in European finals.
Paulo Dybala gave the Italians the lead in the 35th minute after a delightful pass from Gianluca Mancini following good work from Matic to displace Rakitic.
The Conference League holders held on for the reminder of the first half and went into the break with the advantage.
Sevilla came back in the second period blazing and threatening the Roma goal with forceful attacking display.
They got rewarded for their efforts in the 55th minute when Gianluca Mancini turned into his own goal from a Jesus Navas cross.
Both teams had opportunities to a second goal but none was to come as penalty shouts from both ends got waved away.
There was to be an extra thirty minutes of play as both teams remained dogged throughout regulation time.
There was to be no separation still as we saw over ten minutes of added time in the extra period.
The game went into penalties and it was Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez that both missed to hand Sevilla their seventh title.
Meanwhile…
Opta provided the stats that emerged as the final unfolded.
For the first time in UEFA Cup/Europa League’s history three finals in a row have gone into extra time.
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Paulo Dybala is only the second foreign player to score in a Major European Cup Final for AS Roma, after Pedro Manfredini (brace in Fairs Cup in 1961 v Birmingham)
Jesús Navas (37 years and 191 days) is the oldest outfielder to start the final of the UEFA Cup/Europa League since David Weir for Rangers in 2008 (38 years, 4 days). Navas won the UEFA Cup in 2006 against Middlesbrough when he was 20 years and 170 days old.
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