Victory of Sevilla solidifies their status as a force to be reckoned with in European competitions, while Roma's players showed resilience
Sevilla crowned Europa League champions after penalty shootout victory vs Roma.
Sevilla clinched their seventh Europa League title by defeating Roma 4-1 on penalties in the final held in Budapest. The match ended 1-1 after extra time, with Paulo Dybala opening the scoring for Roma in the first half and Gianluca Mancini scoring an own goal to equalize for Sevilla in the second half. Both teams had opportunities throughout the game, but were unable to find a winning goal.
The match started evenly, with Roma having an early chance that was saved by Sevilla's goalkeeper. Dybala broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, calmly finishing a pass from Mancini. Sevilla responded strongly in the second half and Mancini turned a cross from Jesus Navas into his own net, leveling the score.
The second half saw controversial moments, with Sevilla having a penalty decision overturned by VAR and Roma's penalty appeal being waved away despite hitting a defender's arm. The game went into extra time, but neither team could find a breakthrough. Fatigue and injuries began to affect the players as the match headed to a penalty shootout.
In the shootout, Sevilla displayed clinical finishing, converting all four of their penalties, while Roma struggled. Montiel scored the winning penalty for Sevilla, securing their seventh Europa League crown. He initially missed his first attempt but was allowed to retake it due to the goalkeeper's positioning.
The final showcased the clash between two giants, with Sevilla maintaining their perfect record in Europa League finals and Jose Mourinho, Roma's manager, entering the match undefeated in European finals. The Puskas Arena was filled with passionate supporters from both teams.
Sevilla's victory marked a remarkable achievement, considering only four players remained from their previous Europa League final. Yassine Bounou, Nemanja Gudelj, Ivan Rakitic, and Bryan Gil were part of the team that secured a memorable triumph. Dybala, despite recent injury concerns, started for Roma.
