“Sevilla FC Triumphs in UEFA European League Final 2021 – Highlights and Results”

BUDAPEST – Footballers of FC Sevilla became the winners of the UEFA European League for the seventh time in history. In Wednesday’s final in Budapest, Hungary, they beat AS Rome 4:1 in a shootout.

In regular time, the duel ended 1:1, no goal was scored in extra time. Sevilla has triumphed in the Europa League seven times in fourteen years, most recently in the 2019/20 season. Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men secured their place in the group stage of the 2023/2024 Champions League thanks to their triumph in Europe’s second most prestigious club competition. For AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho, this is the first loss in the final at the European level.

Finals of the UEFA European League

FC Sevilla – AS Rome 1:1 pp (1:1, 0:1), 4:1 in a shootout from 11 m

Goals: 55. Mancini (own) – 35. Dybala. Shootout from 11 m: Ocampos 1:0, Cristante 1:1, Lamela 2:1, Mancini missed, Rakitic 3:1, Ibanez missed, Montiel 4:1. Referees: Taylor – Beswick, Nunn (all England), ŽK: Mir (from the bench), Jordan, Rakitič, Montiel, Ocampos – Matič, Pellegrini, Mancini, Cristante, Celik, Zalewski

Sevilla: Bounou – Navas (95. Montiel), Bade, Gudelj (120.+7 Marcao), Telles (95. Rekik) – Fernando (120.+8 Jordan), Rakitič – Ocampos, Torres (46. Suso), Gil (46 Lamela) – En-Nesyri
AS Roma: Patricio – Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez – Celik (91. Zalewski), Cristante, Matič (120. Bove), Spinazzola (106. Llorente) – Pellegrini (106. El Shaarawy) – Dybala (68. Wijnaldum), Abraham (75. Belotti)

The first excitement from the match was brought by a corner kick by the Romans, which was followed by the first shooting shift. AS also had the first chance in the match, when in the 12th minute it got to the end in Spinazzola’s penalty area, but Bounou blocked his shot.

The game then took place mainly between the sixteen players, the Spaniards were slightly more active. The excitement was then brought by two situations after 30 minutes had been played.

First, after contact with Gudelj in the penalty area, Abraham found himself on the ground, the English referee Taylor examined the situation with VAR, but evaluated the intervention as clean. A few seconds later, the Sevillians lost the ball in the middle of the field, Mancini immediately sent it to the running Dybal, and the Argentinian striker finished between the legs of the goalkeeper – 0:1.

At the end of the half, the Spanish team created pressure, they could equalize after Rakitić’s shot, but the ball only hit the right post.

Even after the break, the players of the Spanish team were more active. After ten minutes of the game, they dragged the action on the right side, Navas crossed and Mancini unfortunately knocked the ball into his own goal – 1:1.

Another chance was born ten minutes later, when Pellegrini took a free kick and immediately the ball bounced in the penalty area after a scrum. After an intervention by Bounou, she returned to the game, but none of the players of the Italian team could clean her into the net.

In the 75th minute, Ocampos found himself on the ground after contact in the penalty area, referee Taylor immediately pointed to the white spot, but canceled his verdict after watching the video. Four minutes later, after a cross into the penalty area, the ball hit Fernando in the hand, the Romans asked for a penalty kick, but the referee did not order it. Immediately after that, he had a chance after Belotti’s signal, but Bounou made an excellent save. At the end of regular time, Sevilla could have decided, but Susa’s shot was blocked by Patricio.

In extra time, both teams were bound by tactical plans, the spectators did not see dangerous actions. It wasn’t until the end that Smalling stamped the crossbar after a corner kick. The shootout had to decide and the players of the Spanish club did better in it. They converted all four attempts, Mancini and Ibanez failed in the AS jersey.

• Author: © List
• Source: TASR