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The Europa League has been unofficially dubbed the 'Sevilla Cup' by fans of the Spanish side owing to the club's recent dominance in the competition. Starting from 2006, Sevilla have been in six Europa League/UEFA Cup finals and have never left the field without lifting the trophy on each occasion.
No other club in Europe have consistently won a European title the way Sevilla have in the last two decades. While they may have never reached a UEFA Champions League semi-final or won the La Liga in the last seven decades, Sevilla have become a European super club based on their record in the Europa League alone.
When Jesus Navas lifted the 2019-20 Europa League trophy in Cologne last week after Sevilla beat Inter Milan 3-2, it was just another reaffirmation that no other club wants Europe's second-tier cup competition as much as the Andalusian club does. On that note, let us take a look at all six Europa League finals involving Sevilla.
1. 2006: Sevilla 4-0 Middlesbrough
When the 2005-06 season came about, Sevilla had won no domestic titles or cup competitions in the past six decades, and their European pedigree was minimal. However, the inspired appointment of Juande Ramos as manager changed everything.
The future Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid manager quietly built up a strong team that comprised the likes of Freddie Kanoute, Luis Fabiano, Javier Saviola and a young Jesus Navas that made Sevilla a dark horse in both Spain and Europe.
Both Kanoute and Saviola scored six goals each in Sevilla's UEFA Cup campaign that season as the Spanish side overcame Mainz, Lokomotiv Moscow, Lille, Zenit, and Schalke to reach the final.
The title match saw Sevilla face a surprise package in Steve McClaren's English minnows Middlesbrough. Boro had overturned first-leg deficits in both their quarter-final and semi-final ties to set up a final date with Sevilla.
The Andalusian club took the lead in the 27th minute courtesy of Luis Fabiano before Man of the Match Enzo Maresca scored two quickfire goals in the last 12 minutes to put Sevilla 3-0 ahead. Kanoute then finished off Boro's slim hopes with his team's fourth goal in the 89th.
After captain Javi Navarro lifted the trophy for Sevilla, it marked the start of a golden peroid for the club as they thrashed UEFA Champions League winners Barcelona 3-0 in the next year's UEFA Super Cup en route to more European success.
2. 2007: Sevilla 2(3)-2(1) Espanyol
Javi Navarro would lift the UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Cup and the Copa Del Rey during the 2006-07 season as Sevilla established themselves as Cup specialists. That UEFA Cup campaign saw Sevilla retain their title with a penalty shootout victory over fellow Spanish club Espanyol.
The final saw Sevilla take the lead twice only to be pegged back on each occasion, including conceding an equaliser in the 115th minute. The match subsequently went to penalties where Espanyol missed one spot-kick after the other. Antonio Puerta converted the fourth spot-kick for Sevilla to give the Andalusian club a 3-1 shootout victory.
The Copa Del Rey victory over Getafe followed soon after, and the next year, Sevilla would win their fifth title in three years after capturing the Spanish Super Cup. They would come close to winning the La Liga title as well, but disaster was lurking around the corner.
Antonio Puerta passed away after a cardiac arrest suffered during Sevilla' first La Liga game of the 2007-08 season. Juande Ramos then left the club, and the great Sevilla side disintegrated as many of their players left after attracting interest from top European sides that eventually weakened the club.
3. 2014: Sevilla 0(4)-0(2) Benfica
Despite winning another Copa Del Rey trophy in 2010, Sevilla's form had dropped by 2012. Languishing in 12th place in La Liga, the club decided to appoint Unai Emery as manager. While the results weren't immediate, Emery returned Sevilla to European glory in the 2013-14 season.
Entering that season's Europa League in the third qualifying round, Sevilla scored successive 9-1 aggregate victories over Mladost and Slask respectively to reach the group-stage. The path to their third final was arduous, though.
The Andalusian club barely squeezed past Maribor, Real Betis, Porto and Valencia to reach the final. Sevilla were considered underdogs to a Benfica side that had beaten Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus to reach the title match.
The young Sevilla side comprising Carlos Bacca, Ivan Rakitic and Coke, however, held the Portuguese team to a goalless draw before proving their mettle in yet another penalty shootout. Bacca, Coke, Kevin Gameiro and Steven Mbia all scored from the spot as Sevilla won the shootout 4-2 to lift their third UEFA Cup/Europa League trophy.
4. 2015: Sevilla 3-2 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk were rank outsiders to reach the Europa League final in 2015 despite overcoming both Ajax and Napoli to book a meeting with Sevilla at the National Stadium in Warsaw. Unai Emery's Sevilla looked to continue their success in the competition but ran into stiff resistance from the Eastern European side in the final.
Nikola Kalinic put Dnipro ahead in the seventh minute and even though Grzegorz Krychowiak and Carlos Bacca brought Sevilla back into the tie, Dnipro restored parity just before half-time. In a back and forth second-half that ensued, Bacca scored his second in the 73rd minute to give Sevilla the decisive lead which they never relinquished.
Those two goals took Bacca's tally for the competition to seven as captain Jose Antonio Reyes became the first player to win the Europa League on four occasions. Dnipro would subsequently suffer a tremendous fall from grace, running into financial troubles before eventually disbanding in 2019.
5. 2016: Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla
Unai Emery would make it a hat-trick of Europa League titles in a row for Sevilla in 2016 when the Andalusian club successfully defended their crown by beating Liverpool in the final in Basel's St. Jakob Park. It marked the only time Sevilla won the competition after entering through the Champions League route as they proved too strong for Jurgen Klopp's Reds in the title match.
Liverpool had a tough route to the final, having to contend with both Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund in the previous rounds. In contrast, Sevilla's biggest test came in the quarter-finals where they needed a penalty shootout to see off fellow La Liga club Athletic Bilbao.
In the final, Liverpool took the lead, but Kevin Gameiro scored his eighth goal of the competition to put Sevilla on level terms seconds after the break. Two subsequent goals from competition veteran Coke then saw Sevilla claim the UEFA Cup / Europa League title for the fifth time.
The game against Sevilla made Klopp realise the need to strengthen his Liverpool squad. Mohamed Salah arrived the next year, and a new chapter started in the history of the English side.
6. 2020: Sevilla 3-2 Inter Milan
Sevilla overhauled their squad following their 2016 Europa League victory, and it was a new core group that took the side all the way in the 2020 edition of the competition.
Former golden boy Jesus Navas, who was part of Sevilla's 2006 UEFA Cup squad, was now the captain while Luuk De Jong was the superstar tipped to take Sevilla to glory despite struggling with poor form at the time. Failed Spain and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui was the man entrusted with leading Sevilla's latest quest for European glory.
Italian giants Inter Milan were expected to provide a formidable challenge to Sevilla who had to get past AS Roma, Wolves and Manchester United to set up their date with Antonio Conte's men.
Inter took the lead when Diego Carlos brought down Romelu Lukaku in the third minute to concede a penalty which the Belgian duly converted. But this was the match Luuk De Jong chose to announce his true arrival. A couple of goals from the Dutch forward saw Sevilla claim the lead, but the topsy turvy final had another twist when Diego Godin levelled for Inter.
The Italian side pressed hard for a winner, with Lukaku missing a one-on-one chance and Alexis Sanchez having an effort cleared off the line. Things then came full circle when Carlos, who had conceded the penalty to Lukaku earlier in the game, took a shot in the 73rd minute which deflected off the Belgian and beat the Inter keeper Handanovic.
The match ended 3-2 in Sevilla's favour as the Spanish side held on to their proud record of never losing a Europa League final.
