Sevilla crowned Europa League champions for the sixth time

Sevilla’s love affair with the Europa League lived on after they beat Inter Milan 3-2 in a thrilling final behind closed doors on Friday in Cologne to win the trophy for a record-extending sixth time.

Defender Diego Carlos, wearing a bandage on his leg, struck the decisive goal in the 74th minute with an overhead kick which took a huge deflection off Inter forward Romelu Lukaku.

There was added intrigue as Diego Carlos looked to have denied Lukaku a clear scoring chance when he fouled the Belgian in the fourth minute, with Lukaku dusting himself off to fire Inter into the lead while scoring his 34th goal of the season.

Sevilla soon equalised with a header through Luuk de Jong then the Dutchman struck again with a header to give his side the lead in the 33rd minute, only for Inter defender Diego Godin to also score a header moments later to make it 2-2. The match was played without any fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reporting by Richard Martin)

Sevilla finals wins:

2006: 4-0 against Middlesborough

2007: 2-2 against Espanyol (Sevilla win on pens)

2014: 0-0 against Benfica (Sevilla win on pens)

2015 3-2 against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

2016: 3-1 against Liverpool

2020: 3-2 against Inter Milab

Teams on the pitch

The players have emerged from the tunnel, not one of them glancing at the trophy as they walk passed it. Sevilla are in white, Inter in their black-blue stripes. 

Lukaku-Kounde battle

“Physically I’m curious to see how Jules Kounde handles Romelu Lukaku,” says ESPN correspondent Matteo Bonetti.

“Lukaku has been playing bully ball with everyone this season and weighs about 50 pounds more than Kounde.”

Pope John Paul shouting for Sevilla 

The statue of Pope John Paul in Cologne has been decorated with a Sevilla scarf. The deceased Pope was a big football fan, though was quite loose with his allegiance, as this Guardian report highlighted. 

“Throughout his long and pious life, Pope John Paul II worshipped only one god. But when it came to football teams, he was much freer with his affections. For the pontiff, a handy goalkeeper in his youth, had ties to at least six sides – including Liverpool, Barcelona and Fulham.”

Sevilla aim for title #6

Despite coming into the game as the less fancied side, Sevilla will be anxious to spring another surprise in a competition where the Andalusian side excel. The win over Manchester United in the semi-final was possibly the club’s finest night of the season albeit with a stroke of good fortune.

In securing their ticket to the final as United out-shot Sevilla 20 to nine and forced goalkeeper Bono into several crucial saves to keep the LaLiga side in the tie. 

What the managers said

Julen Lopetegui (Sevilla) and Antonio Conte (Inter) have both reached the EL final in their first season in charge of their respective clubs, both of which have already secured Champions League spots for next season.

Inter finished second behind Juventus in Serie A, while Sevilla landed fourth spot in Spain, meaing they will have to make it through the preliminary UCL qualifying rounds. Here’s what both managers had to say before tonight’s game:

Lopetegui: “Inter are team full of world-class players, but we are excited about the final and determined to put in a great performance…We will have to play to our strengths and be a team that works hard for each other as well as a reliable one that plays as it knows how. Our opponents will ensure we will have to be at our very best.”

Conte: “We should be very proud of reaching a final after 10 years but we have to remember that only the winner goes down in history… I played many finals as a player, I won one Champions League final but lost three and I’ve realised that only the winner is remembered, so that should give us extra motivation.”

AS Preview 

Antonio Conte’s Nerazzurri dropped out of the Champions League but have looked impressive in 2020, spearheaded by the fearsome attacking duo of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.

That said, Inter have only beaten Spanish opposition once in their past 12 attempts, their previous victory coming in a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona 10 years ago. Check out of full preview below…

First meeting between Sevilla and Inter

This will be the first meeting between the two sides in European competition. It will be Sevilla’s fourth EL final in seven years. In total they’ve reached the final on five occasions, winning all five to make them the most successful club in history of the competition.

Inter’s last European final came in the Champions League in 2010 where, under the charge of Jose Mourinho, they beat Bayern Munich 2-0. Their last UEFA Cup final came in 1998. They beat Lazio 3-0. 

Welcome

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Europa League final between Sevilla Inter Milan. The game kicks off in an hour, so in the meantime you can follow the build-up with us here. Team news to follow shortly!