The immovable object in the Europa League came out on top on Wednesday evening, with Sevilla beating Roma 4-1 on penalties, claiming their seventh title, the most of any side.
Here are the player ratings for what was an evenly matched, but fiery cup final!
Yassine Bounou – 8
A pretty quiet game for the World Cup sensation. Cushioned Spinazzola’s early chance and managed to get a fingertip to deny Belotti to a second goal. Relied upon his back four who kept the Roma attack at bay for 130 minutes, and saved Mancini’s penalty.
Jesus Navas - 7
It was nice to see Navas shift back into his classic RW position after the break, which helped set up the equaliser. The pressure imposed by his squad allowed him to cross from the right, with the ball knocking off the leg of Mancini for an own goal.
Loic Bade – 7
Did not put a foot wrong – kept out the tame Italian attack, whilst lasting the full 130 minutes, an impressive showing from the young defender.
Nemanja Gudelj - 7
Came off worse after taking an early knock after colliding with Ibanez, but paired with Bade, to maintain a strong link-up at the back.
Alex Telles – 7
Ran his legs off in the match, and linked up well with Lamela in the second half when he came off the bench. A main contributor in chances created and tackles.
Fernando – 6
Met with a corner at the far post, but was unable to keep his header down or accurate, without testing Patricio.
Ivan Rakitic – 7
Ran the midfield for Sevilla and was unlucky not to score before the break – his rocket shot whacked the post in what could have been one of the best goals scored in a Europa League Final.
Lucas Ocampos – 5.5
Dramatically went down in the box searching for a penalty in the last twenty minutes of the game, Ocampos tricked the referee into giving the penalty off the bat. However, after a review, it was clear he emphasised the fall after a tackle from Ibanez.
Oliver Torres – 5
Combined well with Navas early on in the game in an attempt to break down the waves of attacks coming from Roma. Did not make too much impact in the first half, paired with Gil, and was replaced by Suso.
Bryan Gil - 5
Attempted to make an impact in the first half, but only went as far to contribute a deflected cross before the break, replaced by Erik Lamela.
He and Abraham were absent throughout the game potentially due to lack of service, or most of the offensive work being done by the wingers on both sides. Could only contribute one shot on target throughout the game, reaching an xG of 0.02 in the first 90 minutes.
Substitutes
Suso (45’ for Torres) - 7.5
Did well to add some attacking options after replacing Torres who could not start the game off well. Lasted deep into the added extra time, changing the game for Sevilla. His work rate was unmatched, providing some chances and rarely making a mistake.
Erik Lamela (45’ for Gil) – 6
Worked well as a double substitute with Suso and provided Telles with some good attacking options.
Gonzalo Montiel (94’ for Navas) – 7.5
Jose Mendilibar must have placed his full trust in the Argentinian after he scored the winning penalty in last year’s World Cup final. Tensions were high after he initially missed, but with Rui Patricio coming off his line the penalty was retaken, and he made no mistake to bring home Sevilla’s seventh Europa League title.
Rekik (94’ for Telles) – 6
Jordan (n/a)
Marcao (n/a)
Rui Patricio – 7
Much like his opponent, the former Wolves keeper did not have much to do tonight – his defence was unlucky to concede, after Mancini’s own goal.
Roger Ibanez – 7
Took a true beating in the final, first clashing heads with Gudelj and then the victim in an unintentional aerial collision with En-Nesyri. Was able to shake the knocks off, coming close after a rebound in the box but scuffed it wide. Also lucky to avoid giving away a penalty after Ocampos dramatically went down after his tackle in the box.
Chris Smalling – 7.5
Cleared En Neysri’s opportunity with a well-timed diving header, getting to the ball before any teammate could, finishing the game with ten clearances. His headed attempt on goal from a corner was easily taken by Bounou.
Gianluca Mancini - 7
Drifted into the central midfield and played a piercing through ball to Dybala to set up the first goal but was unlucky to knock Navas’s cross into his own net for the Sevilla equaliser.
Leonardo Spinnazola - 7
Gained a golden opportunity to take the lead in the first ten minutes. The ball did seem to be choppy and the ball did not connect properly, seeing the Italian blasted the shot straight at the keeper.
Nemanja Matic - 6.5
Deserved credit for his off-the-ball work to keep Rakitic at bay, but became the first player to add to the enormous tally of yellows, but improved later in the game. Lasted 120 minutes but was pulled off for Edoardo Bove in what looked like a knock for the Serbian.
Bryan Christante – 6
An active defender in stopping the Sevilla attack but did not contribute much going forward.
Mehmet Celik – 5.5
It was clear that the heat of the moment got to Celik – he started the game well, but fell to sloppy tackles, giving the ball away easily and jumping into arguments.
Lorenzo Pellegrini – 6.5
Picked up a booking for an outrageous dive in an attempt to win a penalty, clearly throwing himself to the ground.
Tammy Abraham – 6
Was non-existent in the first half, and only managed one shot on target before being pulled off with an injury in the second half, finishing the game with an xG of 0.32 – Roma may have been more fortunate in this final if Abraham was fully firing.
Paulo Dybala - 8
Gained a huge cup final start despite his recent injuries, and the gamble paid off. He latched on brilliantly to a searching ball from Mancini, finishing finely to give his side the lead, lasting three-quarters of the game. Clearly sorely missed in terms of chance creation when he left the pitch.
Substitutes
Georginio Wijnaldum - 5 (68’ for Dybala)
Attempted to fill the hole that remained when Dybala left the pitch, in tandem with Belotti, but failed to make any lasting impact.
Andrea Belotti – 6.5 (75’ for Abraham)
Came close to extending his side’s lead from a set piece, but was denied by the fingertip of Bounou.
Nicola Zalewski – N/A
Diego Llorente – N/A
Stephan El Shaarawy – N/A
Edoardo Bove – N/A
