Gonzalo Montiel’s retaken spot kick ensured that Sevilla became Europa League champions for the seventh time in their history as they defeated Jose Mourinho’s Roma on penalties at the end of a torturous final in Budapest.
Sevilla dominated the ball for large swathes of the first half, but couldn’t break down Mourinho’s resolute side and it was the Italian outfit that took the lead just after the half hour mark when Paolo Dybala, an injury doubt coming into the game, fired calmly past Bounou to send the Roma fans into delirium.
Paulo Dybala gives Roma the lead!! 🤩
No reaction whatsoever from Jose Mourinho…#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/YGm0pgXLGJ
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 31, 2023
Still Sevilla dominated, with Ivan Rakitic hitting the inside of the post in first-half stoppage time as Jose Mourinho’s side held on.
The second half, however, was a different story. With Sevilla introducing both Luis Ocampos and Suso, the European specialists looked much more of a threat and deservedly levelled the tie 10 minutes into the second half when Gianluca Mancini could only bundle a Jesus Navas cross into his own net.
Disaster for Roma… the perfect response for Sevilla! 🙌
Gianluca Mancini puts the ball in his own net levelling the score… 😳#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/9rJ3TXahQd
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 31, 2023
Twenty minutes later, Sevilla’s pressure looked as though it had forced another mistake from Roma, only for VAR to overturn Anthony Taylor’s decision to award a penalty for a clumsy-looking challenge from Ibanez.
Extra time beckoned, with neither side threatening, and an extra 30 minutes failed to seperate the sides either in a game that turned into a low quality affair, leaving the two sides only to be seperated by a penalty shoot out.
He too missed, but was handed a second chance when the referee spotted encroachment, and made no mistake second time round, handing the Spanish giants an unprecedented seventh Europa League title.
📰 Table Of Contents
Player ratings
Sevilla
- GK: Bounou (6) – Will feel that he could have done better for the opening goal but made two vital saves in the second half to keep it at 1-1.
- RB: Jesus Navas (7) – Was ineffective in the first half but much better in the second and put in the dangerous cross for the Sevilla equaliser.
- CB: Nemanja Gudelj (7) – Outside of his natural position, he was nonetheless impressive and helped the inexperienced Bade through the game.
- CB: Loic Bade (6) – Caught out a little for Paolo Dybala’s goal but was otherwise largely untroubled.
- LB: Alex Telles (7) – Like Navas on the opposite flank, he offered a decent threat for Sevilla and could have grabbed himself a goal on the other night.
- CDM: Fernando (5) – Showed that there was still life in the ageing midfielder but looked a little out of place for much of the game.
- CDM: Ivan Rakitic (8) – Came closest in the first half when he hit the inside of the post. Kept Sevilla moving really well throughout the game.
- RM: Bryan Gil (4) – Was unable to offer anything going forwards and was taken off at half time.
- CAM: Oliver Torres (4) – Like Gil, couldn’t create anything against a resolute Roma side and was substituted at the interval.
- LM: Lucas Ocampos (6) – Involved in the equaliser and most of the other good things that Sevilla managed.
- ST: Youssef En-Neysri (5) – Couldn’t make the ball stick against the Roma centre-backs and was marshalled well by Chris Smalling.
Substitutes
- Erik Lamela (5) – Introduced at half time and was brighter than Gil, but wasted some good chances to run at the Roma defence late on.
- Suso (8) – Came on and had an immediate impact, though in truth Sevilla couldn’t get worse.
- Karim Rekik (5) – On in extra time and offered nothing.
- Gonzalo Montiel (5) – On in extra time and offered nothing.
- Joan Jordan (N/A) – Came on in the 127th minute.
- Marcao (N/A) – Came on in the 127th minute.
Roma
- GK: Rui Patricio (6) – Had very little to do except pick the ball out of his net.
- RWB: Zeki Celik (4) – Completed just 8 passes (38%) and picked up a yellow card on a night to forget.
- CB: Roger Ibanez (5) – Lucky to see a penalty decision overturned and skewed a glorious chance wide from four yards out in the opposition penalty area.
- CB: Chris Smalling (8) – Didn’t really put a foot wrong all game and was likely Roma’s best player on the pitch in what could be his last game for the club.
- CB: Gianluca Mancini (6) – Provided a glorious pass for Paolo Dybala’s goal in the first half, but then put into his own net ten minutes into the second.
- LWB: Leandro Spinazzola (5) – A shadow of the rampaging fullback he was before his injury, but looked solid enough defensively to hold his own.
- CM: Bryan Cristante (5) – Constantly in the referees ear, to the point that he was booked, and didn’t do too much of note when he had the ball at his feet.
- CM: Nemanja Matic (6) – Booked early on in the piece but was otherwise solid in central midfield and used his experience well to close down space.
- CAM: Lorenzo Pellegrini (6) – A yellow card for a terrible dive put a dent in what was otherwise a solid performance from the Italian.
- ST: Tammy Abraham (5) – Couldn’t really have any impact on proceedings and was taken off with what looked to be an injury with 15 minutes to play.
- ST: Paolo Dybala (7) – Took his goal excellently and provided a constant threat for Roma before being taken off with 25 minutes left to play.
Substitutes
- Georginio Wijnaldum (5) – Offered very little upon coming on.
- Andrea Belotti (5) – Scuffed a glorious opportunity to win the game in normal time, and couldn’t get involved in extra time.
- Nicola Zalewski (5) – No better than Spinazzola, who he replaced, and picked up a needless booking
- Diego Llorente (5) – Did nothing to change the course of the game.
- Stefan El-Sharawaay (5) – Came on and offered nothing.
- Edoardo Bove (N/A) – On in the final seconds of added time.
Expert Analysis
2 – 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). Joya.#SevillaRoma #UEL pic.twitter.com/pr1V2Akdmt
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 31, 2023
Brutal game. Absolutely brutal. Was always going to be like this.
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) May 31, 2023
Roma have the players to do a lot more than this
— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) May 31, 2023
146 minutes played in this Europa League final….
— Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) May 31, 2023
Fan reaction
That was one of the worst games of football I’ve ever seen
— Michael Timbs (@MichaelTimbs) May 31, 2023
Tottenham sacking Jose Mourinho before a cup final might be their worst decision in the last decade. And that’s saying something. #UELfinal
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) May 31, 2023
Jose Mourinho 1-0 up in a European final. Sevilla should just give up.
— Owuraku Ampofo (@_owurakuampofo) May 31, 2023
Sevilla‘s plan: let’s fight José‘s vampire football with lots of crosses.
— Raphael Honigstein💙 (@honigstein) May 31, 2023
That penalty cannot be allowed to stand.
— Nima Tavallaey Roodsari (@NimaTavRood) May 31, 2023
This match has actually been going on since Jose’s first Europa League final, 20 years ago.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) May 31, 2023
I haven’t seen a footballing event go on so long and so far past the point where it was kind of funny since, well, any episode of Ted Lasso season 3.
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) May 31, 2023
Sevilla have never lost a Europa League final:
🏆 2006 vs. Middlesbrough
🏆 2007 vs. Espanyol
🏆 2014 vs. Benfica
🏆 2015 vs. Dnipro
🏆 2016 vs. Liverpool
🏆 2020 vs. Inter
🏆 2023 vs. RomaNot even José Mourinho could end the streak.#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/5uBIY4Qlap
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 31, 2023
