© EuroFootball.com
On Wednesday evening in Italy, at the "Juventus" stadium in Turin, the winner of one of the two European football tournaments was revealed.
In the final of the UEFA Europa League, Unai Emery's coached "Sevilla" tested their strength against Jorge Jesus's Lisbon "Benfica".
From the very beginning of the match, both teams did not hold back - countless opportunities were created at both ends of the field.
In the first half, J.Jesus's team had to make a substitution early on as Miralem Sulejmani couldn't continue playing.
In the second half, the pace of the match only increased. Despite attractive gameplay and dangerous chances, both goalkeepers kept the goals dry until the end of the regular time.
During extra time, a somewhat unusual substitution by U. Emery was noted, as Marko Marin, who appeared on the field in the 78th minute, was replaced by Kevin Gameiro.
However, even with the efforts of one of the most productive players on the team, they couldn't score a goal into the opponent's net. The teams went to penalty shootouts.
Lima and Carlos Bacca exchanged accurate shots from the spot, but the second penalty by the Portuguese team, taken by Oscar Cardozo, was saved by goalkeeper Beto.
"Sevilla" surged ahead. Stephane M'Bia scored accurately, and "Benfica" soon found themselves in an unfavorable situation as Rodrigo's penalty was also saved.
"Sevilla" scored accurately with Coke, and "Benfica's" captain Luisao answered with a goal. However, it wasn't enough - Kevin Gameiro ended the series with another accurate shot, bringing the UEFA Europa League trophy to the team coached by U. Emery.
This is the third UEFA Europa League trophy for "Sevilla" club. The team triumphed in the tournament in 2006 and 2007. Meanwhile, "Benfica" has not been able to win in Europe for 52 years.
Starting lineups:
"Sevilla": Beto; Coke, Pareja, Fazio, Moreno; Reyes (78' Marin; 104' Gameiro), Mbia, Carrico, Vitolo (110' Figueiras), Rakitic; Bacca.
"Benfica": Oblak; Pereira, Luisao, Garay, Siqueira (99' Cardozo), Sulejmani (25' Almeida), Amorim, Gomes, Gaitan (119' Cavaleiro); Rodrigo, Lima.
"Sevilla" 0 - 0 "Benfica" * - (Penalty shootout 4 - 2)
