Five months after scoring the winning penalty in the World Cup final, Gonzalo Montiel converted the clinching spot kick for Sevilla in the Europa League final Wednesday to beat Jose Mourinho바카라™s AS Roma. (More Football News)
Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez failed to convert for Roma from the spot as Sevilla lifted yet another Europa League title.
Five months after scoring the winning penalty in the World Cup final, Gonzalo Montiel converted the clinching spot kick for Sevilla in the Europa League final Wednesday to beat Jose Mourinho바카라™s AS Roma. (More Football News)
It earned Sevilla a seventh title in the competition.
The Argentina international sent Roma goakeeper Rui PatrĂcio the wrong way with his retaken penalty to seal a 4-1 win in the shootout after the match finished 1-1 after extra time in Budapest, where Mourinho was aiming to maintain his record of having never lost a final in European competitions.
바카라śI바카라™ve won five finals and I lost this one, but I바카라™m coming back home proud again,바카라ť Mourinho told Sky Sport Italy. 바카라śThe boys gave everything.바카라ť
Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez failed to convert for Roma from the spot against Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Montiel missed his first attempt but had another chance after PatrĂcio was judged to have come off his line.
Sevilla has still never lost a final it has contested in the Europa League or its precursor, the UEFA Cup 바카라” the team also won the competition in 2006, 바카라™07, 바카라™14, 바카라™15, 바카라™16 and 바카라™20 바카라” and secured a place in next season바카라™s Champions League.
At one stage close to the relegation zone in the Spanish league and already eliminated from the Champions League, it had looked like a season to forget for Sevilla. But clearly it was not over yet.
A new coach, José Luis Mendilibar came in and things turned around quickly.
바카라śI바카라™m happy to be here, to have won for the club, which was having a hard time when we got here,바카라ť Mendilibar said. 바카라śWe have done something good that can have repercussions for the good of the club.바카라ť
Before the final, Mourinho actually had more European title wins than Mendilibar had total games managed in those same competitions. The 62-year-old Mendilibar바카라™s career is peaking since joining Sevilla just two months ago.
As Sevilla players celebrated on the field, Mourinho kept his calm and congratulated the Spanish club on the victory.
바카라śWe lost a game but not dignity. I바카라™ve never gone home prouder than today,바카라ť Mourinho said. 바카라śGreat match, great final. Intense, vibrant.바카라ť
After receiving his runners-up medal, Mourinho took it off and gave it to a young fan.
Paulo Dybala had put Roma ahead in the 35th minute at Puskás Aréna in the Hungarian capital. Mancini sent a through ball for Dybala, who netted past Bounou with a low left-foot shot. The Argentina forward had recovered from an ankle injury in time to be declared fit for the final.
It was Dybala바카라™s fifth goal of the Europa League, and 17th overall this season.
Sevilla was only slowly getting into the match but Ivan Rakitić came close to equalizing in first-half stoppage time with a low drive from 20 meters (yards) that bounced off the post.
Mendilibar sent on midfielder Suso and forward Erik Lamela, a former Roma player, as substitutes at the start of the second half to rejuvenate his team.
Sevilla equalized through Mancini바카라™s own-goal 10 minutes into the second half when he was under pressure from Youssef En-Nesyri. Captain JesĂşs Navas set up the goal with a cross from the right.
Navas, a 37-year-old veteran, was on the team that won Sevilla바카라™s first Europa League title in 2006.
바카라śWhen they scored against us, you think that it will be very difficult to score against them,바카라ť Mendilibar said. 바카라ť바카라śThe equalizer came quickly in the second half and gave us the strength to continue in the fight to win the game.바카라ť
Substitute Andrea Belotti failed to beat Bounou in a one-on-one following Lorenzo Pellegrini바카라™s free kick seven minutes from time. Suso had a long-distance shot saved by PatrĂcio in the dying seconds.
Sevilla held the upper hand in extra time but didn바카라™t create a clear scoring chance, and Roma defender Chris Smalling headed the ball onto the crossbar at the end.
Replacing former Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli in March, Mendilibar became Sevilla바카라™s third coach this season with the team just two points clear of the La Liga relegation zone. His lineup has lost only two of 11 league games since then and is now one point off seventh place going into the final round this weekend.