Sevilla Outwits Roma On Penalties To Continue Europa Supremacy

Having won each of their last six final appearances in the UEFA Europa League, Sevilla extended that feat tonight by handing Jose Mourinho his first-ever European final loss, courtesy of a penalty shootout victory over Roma.

With both sides looking to end their season on a high, they erred on the side of caution, with no real threat recorded in the opening stages of the encounter. However, Roma increased their intensity in the pursuit of a breakthrough that arrived after Gianluca Mancini played Paulo Dybala on goal, and the Argentine sent a low finish beyond Bounou to give Mourinho’s side a deserved lead in the 35th minute.

The goal sparked life into the match, with Sevilla responding almost immediately, but Ivan Rakitic’s effort couldn’t find its way into the net. Bruised, but not defeated, Sevilla emerged from the break more focused and got a deserved equaliser in the 55th minute when Jesús Navas’s curling effort was directly into the net by Roma’s Mancini.

Moments later, Sevilla had a golden opportunity from the spot overturned by VAR, before Bounou deployed a fingertip save to deny Andrea Belotti and ensure the game made its way into penalty shootout.

Roma succumbed to the pressure in a tense showdown, with Mancini’s penalty being saved by Bounou and Ibañez hitting the post. This paved the way for Montiel to cleverly deceive Patrício with his kick, clinching a momentous seventh title for the Spanish club.