Sevilla claimed a record-extending seventh Europa League title as they beat Roma on penalties at a raucous Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Gonzalo Montiel, who also scored the winning penalty for Argentina in the World Cup final against France, repeated the trick for the Spanish side following a 1-1 draw, with a retaken spot kick after Roger Ibanez and Gianluca Mancini had missed for Roma.
The Spanish side, have now won all seven of the finals they have played in the competition with captain Jesus Navas involved in their first triumph against Middlesbrough in 2006.
Their most recent sees them qualify for next season’s Champions League despite finishing outside the top four in the La Liga.
There will be a feeling that it could have been so different for Roma and their manager Jose Mourinho, who had won all five of the previous European finals he had been involved in and guided the club to inaugural Europa Conference League success last term.
Montiel’s international teammate Paulo Dybala had deservedly put Roma in front during the first period, racing onto to Italy defender Mancini’s incisive pass to expertly steer a low effort past Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou into the bottom right corner.
However, the Serie A side, who also saw Leonardo Spinazzola test Bounou before the break, relinquished their control of a testy encounter which saw 14 players and coaches, including Mourinho booked.
And Sevilla drew level 10 minutes after the break with Navas’ cross from the right, deflecting off the unfortunate Mancini into his own net, as they repeatedly pressed forward for an equaliser.
Roma arguably had the better opportunities to win the contest in normal time with Tammy Abraham and Ibanez unable to convert from close range and Andrea Belotti slicing wide from Lorenzo Pellegrini’s clever free-kick.
When Lucas Ocampos went down under a challenge from Ibanez, Sevilla appeared to have been handed a golden opportunity to go ahead but, after initially awarding a penalty, English referee Anthony Taylor overturned his decision following a video assistant referee review.
That set up a tense additional 30 minutes with Chris Smalling heading against the Sevilla crossbar 11 minutes into stoppage time at the end of extra time before the dramatic finale.
In a match that had been dubbed the ‘The Specialists against The Special One’, there was an air of inevitability about Sevilla’s latest conquest of Europe’s second-tier competition.
While Mourinho’s gamble to name Dybala – despite injury concerns – in his starting line-up for the first time since 13 April initially appeared to pay dividends, Sevilla grew stronger as the contest drew on.
But the Argentine’s influence and fitness faded before his second-half substitution against a side that have looked transformed under Jose Luis Mendilibar’s guidance.
Sevilla’s third coach of the campaign has overseen a superb turnaround, helping the club from Andalusia stave off relegation concerns at home and eliminate both Manchester United and Juventus on their way to the final.
Roma, who had won just one of four previous penalty shootouts in European competition, looked nervy from the spot having withdrawn several potential penalty takers including captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, Dybala and Abraham.
But there was a sense of calmness and conviction to Sevilla, who clinically dispatched all four of their efforts.
Reporter