Sevilla win record-extending 7th Europa League title after beating Roma

Europa League thoroughbreds Sevilla have worked their magic yet again to beat AS Roma 4-1 on penalties and lift the trophy for a record-extending seventh time, while handing Roma boss Jose Mourinho his first defeat in six European finals.

After an unspectacular match ended 1-1 after extra time on Wednesday, Sevilla ruthlessly punished the Italians in the shootout, with Gonzalo Montiel firing home the winning spot kick, just as he did for Argentina in the World Cup final against France.

Sevilla keeper Yassine Bounou was their hero in the shootout, saving penalties from Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez, while the Spaniards were flawless in their own execution, scoring their first four.

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 four finals.

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.

"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."

Roma's ill fate in Europa League

It was the third consecutive Europa League final that ended in a penalty shootout.

The win means Sevilla will compete in next season's Champions League despite finishing outside the top four in the La Liga.

Roma were beaten for a second time in this competition's final as the club from the Italian capital lost the 1991 UEFA Cup final to Inter Milan.

Roma head coach Jose Mourinho also lost his first major UEFA tournament final in his career.

Mourinho had never lost a European final before Wednesday, having last year led Roma to the inaugural Europa Conference League title, becoming the first coach to win all the European trophies.

Losing was clearly a painful experience for the Portuguese who handed his runners-up medal to a fan in the stand after the presentation.

"That's what I did, I don't want silver medals. I don't keep silver medals, so I gave it away," he told Movistar.

Mourinho, known as the Special One, won the 2003 UEFA Cup [rebranded Europa League in 2009] and the 2004 UEFA Champions League title with Portuguese club Porto, guided Italian side Inter to their 2010 Champions League success, and bagged the 2017 Europa League trophy with England's Manchester United before clinching the third-tier UEFA Europa Conference League trophy with Roma in 2022.

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Source: TRT