Sevilla beat Manchester United, then they beat Juventus. The Spanish club are into their seventh Europa League final after Thursday’s triumph over the Italians.
The six-time Europa League champions can add to their trophy cabinet on 31 May at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest against José Mourinho’s AS Roma.
The Andalusian club have won all six of the Europa League finals they have been in; Mourinho has won all five of the European finals he has been in as manager.
Schalke, Osasuna, Valencia, Fiorentina, Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester United were eliminated by Sevilla in the semi-finals in their years of European glory.
In 2006, they defeated Middlesbrough to win their first Europa League, and they won again in 2007 against Espanyol in Glasgow. Seven years later, in 2014, success came against Benfica in Turin. In 2015 they defeated Dnipro in Warsaw. They lifted the trophy for the third year in a row when they beat Liverpool in Basel in 2016. Their latest success in the competition came in 2020 against Inter in Cologne.
Sevilla will be playing in their seventh Europa League final and this time they will have the support of their fans in the stands. Their last final in Cologne was won without supporters due to the pandemic.
Sevilla fans have experienced this year’s edition with the excitement of the first time. It has been a tough season, with relegation looming at one stage.
José Luis Mendilibar
The Spanish side have had three coaches this season and it was Basque coach José Luis Mendilibar who turned the team around, winning over the dressing room and the fans as soon as he took the job.
The experienced coach is now one step away from glory with the Europa League specialists.
Kieran Quaile | GSFN
