Sevilla in seventh heaven: A turnaround and a title

Jose Mourinho hadn't got this right: Jose Luis Mendilibar has less white hair. They are both sexagenarians but in European final nights, Mendilibar was a first-timer and Mourinho a veteran who had never finished second in five previous outings.

- Dhiman Sarkar

But this is the Europa League and this is Sevilla. They always find a way. This is a team that has lost only three of their last 40 knockout games in Europe's second-tier competition and never a final though they have trailed in four of them. Paulo Dybala's slick left-footer was cancelled with Gianluca Mancini's own-goal-it was the third time Sevilla benefited from this in the competition after two against Manchester United -and Sevilla won from a tie-breaker penalty that had to be retaken.

In Gonzalo Montiel, Sevilla had their man alright. The Argentine now has two trophies won with his last kick, the other being the World Cup, so you couldn't grudge him the after-final selfie with the 15kg trophy, Europe's heaviest.

Montiel's penalty fetched the Andulasian club an unprecedented seventh Europa title, five of them in the last 10 years. Even in a La Liga season where they were only two points clear of the drop zone in March and 11th now - if they finish there, it will be their worst since promotion in 2000-01 - Sevilla managed to go all the way, the 5 (1)-1(1) result at Budapest's Puskas Arena confirming a Champions League season.