Sevilla were crowned UEFA Europa League Champions for un unprecedented third time in succession after coming back from a goal down to defeat Liverpool 3-1 at St. Jakob Park in Basel. A peach of a goal from Daniel Sturridge gave Liverpool a half-time lead, but Sevilla stormed back in the second half through a goal from Gameiro and a brace from Coke to become Europa League champions.
Spanish clubs dominance of European football continued, but there were plenty of talking points from the game that could have resulted in Liverpool reversing this trend.
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Here’s how the managers, players and pundits reacted:
Sevilla FC manager Unai Emery:
Emery revealed his pleasure with the win but is already looking forward, saying “It's a unique satisfaction. Now we have to enjoy it, knowing that we have another final on Sunday. The team - and Sevilla - deserve this. The Europa League has given us a lot. I said that we had to enjoy the final, and to enjoy it doubly if we could win it.”
Emery touched on Sevilla’s awful away record and noted that asking his players to play as if at home resulted in the turnaround, saying “We organised our minds at the break and we knew why we had reached this stage. We had to remember that the neutral pitch was the Sanchez Pizjuan, that we were in Seville. And the team took off.”
“We had to go forward. We had to be ourselves. Liverpool are a great team and with the goal their belief began to grow. But this also happens with us. With the equaliser, we felt strong, we were confident.”
Sevilla defender Daniel Carrico:
The defender dedicated the win to Antonio Puerta, who died aged 22 while playing for Sevilla against Getafe in 2007, saying “It is three seasons in a row now and it is our competition. We have won and we have a star up there called Antonio Puerta, he gives us a push when things get tough.”
Sevilla captain Coke:
Coke scored the goals that won Sevilla the trophy but credited the fans, saying “I want to thank the team we have and all the people who have spent money to come here and who kill for Sevilla. Every person who came here is worth three or four. I want them to enjoy it. It was a very special week and it's impossible to start it in the best way. We have a whole city behind us.”
“The important thing is that we win. We've had an amazing season and now we have another final.”
Sevilla forward Kevin Gameiro:
The French forward dedicated the win to the fans while also quashing rumours of a move away, saying “I am glad I've kept scoring here. We have wonderful people and supporters. This is historic. I love Sevilla and I am very happy. The fans are great and this win is dedicated to them. It is a magical night, I scored the goal on behalf of all of the supporters.”
The Liverpool camp experieced great heartache after having been given hope when Sturridge opened the scoring with a stunning outside of the boot finish. However, the Reds’ capitulation in the second half left a bitter taste in the mouth for the Liverpool fans, with a large portion of the blame being apportioned to former Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp:
Klopp bemoaned the timing of Sevilla’s goal, claiming it damaged Liverpool mentally, saying “It was obvious the first goal of Sevilla had a big influence on our own game. In this moment we lost faith in our style of play. We changed from passing simply and quickly to complicated. We lost our formation, so it was not compact anymore.”
The German manager also was disconsolate with the refereeing in the final, noting that the Reds were denied four clear handballs, “This is interview number 10 or 12 that I’ve had [post-game] and everybody has told me about two handballs in the first half. Today there were four decisive decisions I would say, maybe a few more, but very obvious decisions that went against us.
“In a final, when it’s clear it is close, you need a little bit of luck. We didn’t. We have no influence on this, but where we have influence on is our game and so now we are disappointed and frustrated, 100 per cent.”
However Klopp sounded a note of hope, noting the youthful nature of his Liverpool squad, saying “They are still young and this was their first big final – unfortunately their second [losing] final of the season, but it was a big final and we will use this experience together. Then someday everybody will say Basel was a very decisive moment for the wonderful future of Liverpool FC.”
Liverpool vice-captain James Milner:
James Milner was critical of Liverpool’s second half performance, saying “ It's devastating losing the game, but I think the most disappointing thing is that we didn't show [anywhere] near what we're about. [We] didn't play anywhere near our abilities and that's probably the biggest thing for me.”
Milner also noted that Liverpool cold learn from their final experiences, saying “We've been to two finals this year and not managed to get over the line, so we need to learn from that and make sure that next time we get there we finish the job.”
Referencing the comeback to Dortmund, Milner said “We've shown that character time and time again in this competition, but tonight we couldn't do that," Milner told BT Sport in the immediate aftermath. That's disappointing. When you leave yourselves too much to do one too many times, it's pretty difficult to do it time and time again.”
“It will take a long time to get over this but we have to regroup, take what belief we can and learn from what we can.”
