This had been presumed to be a clash of styles, José Luis Mendilibar saying: “They don’t worry too much about getting to your goal that often; in that sense, they’re not like us.” Dybala’s inclusion suggested that Roma would take a step forward a little sooner, making the most of him for as long as he could last.
Sevilla’s empire just will not fall, not even to the Romans. After three long, exhausting hours, the match that, like their extraordinary dominance of this competition, seemed like it would never end, came down to a single kick. Or so it seemed: instead, past midnight in Budapest, the Europa League final that began in May and didn’t conclude until June came down to two of them. Which somewhere in the noise and the nerves and the tension of the penalty shootout, of this whole wild night and Sevilla’s entire miraculous story, felt fitting. Just as it did when Jesús Navas, the kid who grew up at the club and the captain who is 37 now, lifted those fifteen kilos of silver to the sky, 17 years after he first did so.
Written by Sid Lowe at the Puskás Aréna, Budapest
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/may/31/sevilla-roma-europa-league-final-match-report under the title “Montiel edges Sevilla to seventh Europa League triumph with win over Roma”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
