This is our Europa League, says Ivan Rakitic after Sevilla’s record-extending seventh triumph

BUDAPEST – Ivan Rakitic summed it up best when he said “this is our Europa League” after Sevilla worked their magic yet again to beat AS Roma 4-1 on penalties on Wednesday and lift the trophy for a record-extending seventh time.

Added the Croatian midfielder: “This is Sevilla’s seventh title. It’s an incredible feeling. We have shown the world once again what Sevilla can do.”

After an unspectacular match ended 1-1 after extra time, Sevilla punished the Italian side in the shoot-out, with Gonzalo Montiel firing home the winning spot kick, just as he did for Argentina in the Qatar World Cup final against France.

Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar, who handed his Roma counterpart Jose Mourinho a first defeat in six European finals, told Movistar Plus: “Montiel was going to be the fifth but then they changed the order. The order is set by the players.”

The defender had missed his first effort but was handed a reprieve when Roma goalkeeper Rui Patricio was adjudged to have come off the line too early and he made no mistake with his second, sparking jubilant celebrations.

Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou was their hero in the shoot-out, saving penalties from Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez while the Spanish team were flawless in their own execution, scoring their first four.

The goalkeeper told Spanish daily AS: “I’ve had a lot of moments like this and I realised that you have to be very calm to deal with them. My teammates also give me a lot of calm and security.

“This year has been full of emotions, between the World Cup and today. Sometimes you don’t really analyse what’s going on.

“I have always said that I am a man of the club, ready to defend Sevilla.”

Sevilla, the undisputed kings of the Europa League, have now won all seven of the finals they have played in the competition, and are well versed in the drama of the occasion, having seen their opponents score first in the last three finals.

It was a tense and ill-tempered affair from the start on Wednesday, with Roma defending deep with a five-man backline against Sevilla, who had 64 per cent possession but were kept mostly outside the Italian team’s crowded box.

The match was tetchy with referee Anthony Taylor dishing out 14 yellow cards, the most in a Europa League game, and playing almost 30 minutes of stoppage time.

Paulo Dybala gave Roma the lead from a counter-attack in the 35th minute but Sevilla then took control of the game and found the equaliser thanks to an own goal by Mancini in the 55th minute.

Sevilla dominated the match after that but Roma had the better chances from counter-attacks and set pieces, including a Chris Smalling header that hit the crossbar in the 10th minute of stoppage time in extra time.

Sevilla maintained their incredible record in the competition after an otherwise difficult season.

Languishing in the bottom half of La Liga for a large part of a campaign in which they fired two coaches, Sevilla rediscovered their form only after exiting the Champions League.

Their run to the final saw them beat PSV Eindhoven, Fenerbahce and Manchester United before downing Juventus in the semi-finals.

“It was a Sevilla-style match. We have to suffer to win,” Lucas Ocampos told Spanish TV channel Movistar Plus.

“This is not easy. What we have with this competition is something that cannot be explained.”

It was the third consecutive Europa League final that ended in a penalty shoot-out. The win means Sevilla will compete in next season’s Champions League despite finishing 11th in the La Liga.

“We are going to enjoy this because it has cost a lot and right now I don’t know if I will renew or not and I don’t care,” said Mendilibar, who was appointed only in March and is not certain to be at the club next season.

“When I arrived, I told the players that they were very good but that they were not mentally in the right place and that was my job. They have shown me in the end that they are very good.”
REUTERS, AFP