When Sevilla defeated Roma in the Europa League finals, they extended their unprecedented and remarkable dominance securing an astonishing 7 titles,four times more than their nearest rivals.The Spanish team had a poor run at the beginning of their record extending season that made them sack Lopetugui and Sampoali, they were faced with relegation in la Liga and performed dismally at the champions league losing home and away to Manchester City at the group stage and finishing behind the English treble winners and Dortmund. a lot of critics knew that they will find their feet in the Europa league and it was so,despite having several big clubs that were slightly capable of winning, considering their dip in form, heavyweights such as Juventus,Manchester United, Barcelona, Arsenal, Roma, Bayern Leverkusen, PSV, Lazio, Sporting Lisbon,Shakhtar Donestk and Ajax most had won at least once and were in good form regardless,They still prevailed and became champions. What is behind their invincibility and how do they overcome several hurdles before them even when it is overwhelming? it is on record that the Spanish have dominated all the European club competitions, the champions league-Real Madrid, the defunct winners cup-Barcelona, The Fairs cup the precursor of the Europa league-Barcelona and presently the Europa league with Sevilla. Sportumentary will provide deep insight on the Europa league and Sevilla’s trend in victory in this competition.
England and Germany take early lead in the Europa league.
The Europa league competition started in 1972 with the English taking some control Tottenham Hotspur won the maiden edition and Liverpool won in 1973 and 1976 a springboard for their champions league domination between the late 70s and 80s, before then the next two editions were won by Feyenoord in 1974(they had another title in 2002) and Borussia Moenchengladbach in 1975, The Germans won again in 1979 and the following year another German club Eintracht Frankfurt won, emulating the English side’s back to back titles at the inception of the Europa league, after Liverpool`s second win Italy`s Juventus won the next edition in 1977 and the dutch giants PSV won in 1978 they won the champions league and the treble a decade later. The Europa league had two leading countries England and Germany producing more of the winners. the English won again in 1981 through Ipswich while Tottenham won her second title in 1984 and then the Germans in 1988 with Bayern Leverkusen, Belgium won for the only time with Anderlecht in 1983, Sweden’s IFK Goteburg won twice in 1982 and 1987, in their first European title win they also added their domestic league and cup titles becoming the first Europa league champions to win the treble, it was in 1985 and 1986 that Spain with Real Madrid won in succession, the first to do so. The most successful champion of the European champions league setting a trend for dominance in the Europa league.
The Italian Dominance of the Europa league
As from the late eighties the Italians re-announced their presence in European club football a sort of renaissance, they were the most successful in the champions league after Real Madrid and Benfica in the 60s with Milan and Inter, even in the winners cup Milan were second behind Barcelona with the most titles won and the Italians came into this tournament with a dominance not seen before, in 1990 they were winners of all three European competitions at the same time. Milan with a second successive champions league, Sampdoria with the winners cup and Juventus with the Europa cup a record that still stands.if not for Barcelona’s defeat of Sampdoria in the 1989 cup winners finals, Italy would have been holding all the European trophies back to back.from 1989 to 1999 from 11 editions they won 8, the most titles won by any country within this time line in any era, a record that still stands, they produced both finalists in 4 finals and reached 6 straight finals with Ajax defeating Torino in 1992 the only anomaly within that stretch, it was five titles from six another milestone. Maradona’s Napoli started this reign in 1989, Juventus won twice in 1990 and 1993. Inter won thrice in 1991,1994 and 1998 and Parma won in 1995 and 1999 it was Bayern that interrupted this dominance in 1996 with Schalke the following year giving Germany back to back titles, Inter and then Parma continued the Italian dominance both Inter and Juventus became the most successful teams in the Europa league.it must be stated that Ajax and Bayern Munich that temporarily stopped this dominance had such quality that enabled them transit into the champions league and winning it, Ajax in 1995 stopping the great Milan side and Bayern Munich stopping Valencia in 2001, Ajax had earlier in 1987 won the winners cup. these trends in victory was as a result of quality players and an outstanding technical team with an innovative playing approach.
Sevilla’s early dominance in the 21st century
Almost all competitions have teams that provide a particular set of winners and then a dominant team emerges based on factors that enable them create a stranglehold. The dominance could be from the beginning of the competition as in the case of the Spanish dominance in the other competitions or later as it progresses. The Europa league did not have a dominant team from inception yet and it was expected, regarded as Europe’s third tier competition until the winners cup was stopped and merged with it and several years later the conference league introduced.the Europa league became the second most important European competition this century and is arguably the hardest of the European competitions to win, most of the great European clubs were consistently competing in the other competitions and the expanded champions league made it more difficult for the elite teams to play consistently in the Europa league and when they fall into this competition uncomfortably play in it until they are knocked out. even when they make it a priority to win it, circumstances especially psychological, make it almost impossible. from all the multiple winners from the past, most are always in the champions league and hardly drop back, some elements of fortune is also needed like having a kind draw to avoid a relatively strong team that is knocked out from the champions league, a team from the champions league also need to avoid a form team, these pairings usually have an effect on progression, also, another challenge that makes winning this competition difficult, a factor that is still evident is, several more teams are so capable of causing an upset and winning in the Europa league unlike in the champions league, from statistics the last time a team from the big five did not win the champions league title was in 2004 which was Porto, in the Europa league more countries have produced champions from Portugal-Porto(2003) Turkey-Galatassary(2000), Russia-CSKA(2005) and Zenith(2008) Holland-Feyenoord(2002), Ukraine-Shaktar Donestk(2009) .This inability for the big teams to win is clearly reflected in the 21st century, Sevilla’s era in the Europa league, it was Liverpool then still trying to recapture European form and glory after the ban of English clubs from European football between 1985-1990 that won in 2001, two years later Porto won in 2003 their first treble both like Ajax and Bayern Munich went on to win the champions league Porto did it in record time a season later, they had the young and brilliant Jose Mourinho with his key players, they went on to achieve more astounding results with better clubs, a case of sustained quality, the Reds won the champions league in 2005 several years later, a new elite team Chelsea, first time winner of the champions league in 2012 won the Europa league in 2013 like Porto but in a reverse manner, both champions had a range and variety of quality enabling them to improve and adapt so rapidly, it is also noteworthy to mention at that time the champions league had no dominant winners such as AC Milan(1989 and 1990,1994) and kings of European champions league Real Madrid (2014,2016-2018,2022,2024) these clubs were not in that era, making it easier for the transition to winners between both competitions. from the other Europa league winners none became champions, the closest being two time finalists Atletico Madrid, in both times(2014 and 2016) were stopped by Real Madrid, a point highlighted earlier. it was with all this factors that led Sevilla to win her first title in 2006, Spain had the tradition and they took full advantage, the Europa league needed a team that had all the necessary winning quality and consistency while not encumbered with other competitions at the latter stages and naturally, Sevilla filled the vacuum.
Sevilla won the first of her multiple titles in 2006 dispatching teams from Russia-Lokomotive Moscow and Zenith, French side Lille, Schalke from Germany and England’s Middlesbrough with an emphatic 4-0 win in the finals,They won again in 2007 joining Real Madrid and both still remains the only side till date to retain it. with their second title, Sevilla became the 10th team to win at least twice and were the joint second most successful team in the competition. none could win back to back titles afterwards showing the level of Sevilla’s achievement. the best attempt was Atletico Madrid winning 2 finals from 3 editions between 2010 and 2012, joining Sevilla and others with two titles, Porto winners in 2011 became the only Europa league champion to win the treble twice breaking away from IFK Goteburg in 1982, Galatassary in 2000 and CSKA Moscow in 2005, with one each and also making it two Europa titles. it showed the depth in quality of the winners, the Rojablancos were at the high end of the champions league in subsequent years and rightly regarded as a champions league contender while Sevilla was consistently leaving an indelible mark despite the high level competition .
Sevilla was structured for Dominance
Sevilla’s success story and dominance will not be complete without the mention of Ramon Verdejo widely known as Monchi their former goalkeeper, He built a winning business model learnt from successful clubs in Europe notably Porto with a sizeable budget, a template that brought quality players that usually win titles and sold at reasonable profit with a similar replacement purchased but at a very decent price. they repeated the process, it always worked. He combined man and machine, scouts provided the human perspective to finding quality players and machine learning, the data and cold bloodied insight towards star performance. his most celebrated acquisitions were Dani Alves, Rakitic, Sergio Ramos and Navas, Sevilla became a model for football that showcased how to compete against the vast resources of the few rich clubs with success.
Sevilla the present and future of the Europa league
Sevilla won again in 2014 and did what European super powers Real Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus or any other team had not done before by winning thrice in a row in 2014,2015 and 2016. when they defeated Benfica on penalties in Turin to win their third title they became tied with Liverpool, Juventus and Inter as the most successful clubs and when they defended their title again in 2015 they were the only team with four titles and also two back to back titles. Sevilla’s third title in succession took them to another level extending their record to five titles.it took the most successful team in the Europa league 7 years to win a total of three titles, Inter(1991,1994 and 1998) Sevilla coached by Unai Emery won three in just three years increasing their title haul, they had defeated Liverpool by three goals to one, the Reds were rebuilding once again with Klopp in his first season, they went on to reach three champions league title matches in 2018, 2019 and 2022 winning one in between these final appearances.other champions league sides Manchester United, Atletico and Chelsea won the next three editions of the Europa league, Sevilla hardly a surprise, won their sixth title beating Inter in an engrossing final in 2020, Villarreal with Unai Emery won the next edition making it back to back titles for Spain with their first European title in 2021 and Frankfurt won their second title in 2022 to add to their maiden win in 1980. Sevilla’s historic title dominance was twice as much as the next set of successful teams, with six titles won, more or less within a decade, teams from the same country won multiple titles but Sevilla single highhandedly dominated it.They have mastered this competition and apart from Inter all their closest rivals were having an indifferent performance in Europe. Liverpool, Juventus and Atletico part of the champions league elite have not been as impressive as before, Juventus like Sevilla also fell into the Europa league. the Reds will feature in this competition in the 2024/2025 season while Atletico Madrid had a very poor European season failing to even reach the Europa league from the champions league but qualified for the champions league the following season by finishing fourth behind surprise package Girona. Inter had the best European season they came close in their attempt to win the champions league for the fourth time. Sevilla have defeated most of the big champions league teams in this competition but find it difficult to compete with them at the champions league but importantly, are still setting the standard and will try to consolidate with more titles. on this account their reign at the top will extend beyond at least the next decade even if they do not add to their title haul. their closest rivals will not fix their inconsistent run in the nearest future. Sevilla is the super powers of the Europa league. their historical clash with Roma another example of their greatness. Monchi had left his role as sporting director and joined Roma from 2017 until 2019, when he returned Sevilla added more Europa league titles starting from 2020 an immediate impact. the club’s most important talisman.
The 2023 finals; A battle between the two Jose(Mourinho and Mendilibar)
The 2023 final match was a battle between two managers and clubs from the two most dominant nations with a rich history of dominance and success in the champions league and other club competitions which has also helped in winning the world cups, Italy in 2006 and Spain’s first in 2010.
it was a battle between the defending conference league winners Roma and the most successful team in the competition Sevilla, a contest of the best sides remaining, the Italians had set the pace in Europe with at least one team in the finals of the three European competitions, at this final, they had Jose Mourinho the history defining manager, unbeaten in five European finals across three European competitions, with Porto and Inter he won the champions league with Porto and Manchester United the Europa league and led Roma to her first European title since 1961, becoming the first manager to win all three. if he won this, he will be sole leader and most successful manager in Europe with six titles.Ancelotti presently has this distinction with a whopping five champions league titles. his opponent Jose Mendilibar and Sevilla the Spanish club, are undefeated in six finals in this competition, they have established themselves in the Europa league, for a winner to emerge something had to give, more so Sevilla is the only Spanish team in the finals of all three of the European competitions. All the elements that will determine victory had the tiniest of margins separating both sides, it must be stated that such outcomes usually have a clear advantage when some setbacks happen during the game such as a red card, injury,stage fright, drop of form and other variables which may seem improbable considering their experience but highly likely because of expectations,pressure and unseen circumstances, this factors will swing the tie favorably towards the benefactor producing a winner. after Roma took the lead in the 34th minute through Dybala, a player Mourinho vowed weeks ago will not be able to play due to injury he further stated that only a miracle will make him fit enough for the bench, the Argentine scored from a precise long pass from Mancini from the center circle, the world cup winner had two players around him but skillfully controlled the pass and placed a shot beyond Bounou. Advantage Roma and with a manager so adept in holding on to leads in any circumstance in the grandest of European stages, it was almost certain but Sevilla was not an ordinary opposition, they have this spirit within that propels them in this competition and takes them to the title, the first half ended with the only goal conceded from the counter attack and the second half offered them that leverage to find the equalizer, they always find a way or how else can it be explained, this same team were two goals down in the first half against Manchester United and found a way to draw at old Trafford forcing two own goals from them, in the semi finals, they were a goal down against Juventus in Spain, in the first leg they conceded a dying minute equalizer in Turin, they still found a way, at Seville,Suso hit back after six minutes and Lamela scoring the winner in extra time. the goal they conceded late in the first match and the first goal in the second did not affect them negatively, in both matches they showed great altitude. In the finals, Mancini uncharacteristically scored an own goal ten minutes into the second half an error which was not decisive but wiped away the ability for them to sit back and counter and also, manage the rest of the game according to their terms, this parity gave the two sides an opportunity to find a winner and risk losing with so little time left. Sevilla’s ability to manage all aspects of the game especially when they are leading or trailing has made them difficult to defeat, apart from Manchester City in Europe no other team have been able to take control when they were chasing the game rather they have a way of exploiting any team that has the lead against them with their quarter and semi finals victory an instructive case of such resilience and ability to turn the game around.In the finals with the score tied at 1-1 and after several attempts from both sides and very difficult calls for penalties from either side which V.A.R refuted, the match went through extra time and penalties both teams had recent good records in extra time with Roma’s victory in the quarter finals against Feyenoord in extra time and Sevilla’s win against Juventus also in extra time. in the ensuing shoot out the Spanish took advantage of the Italian team, it was a stage which they have not been able to master, they lost the champions league finals in 1984 against Liverpool their most important match in history and even Mourinho had not won any of his European finals on penalties at this level while Sevilla had momentum, had won the 2007 and 2014 Europa finals on penalties, they capitalized on Roma’s inexperience, On the international stage, the leading teams known for their penalty kick expertise are Germany, Argentina and Croatia. all Sevilla’s penalty scorers were from at least two of those countries, hardly a coincidence apart from the first kicks which Ocampos for Sevilla and Christante for Roma scored Lamela and Rakitic took the advantage while the unlucky Mancini and Ibanez losing their spot kicks, which allowed the fourth taker an opportunity to win it for Sevilla. it was such a defining moment, extending their winning streak to seven titles and ending Mourinho’s unbeaten final run and Roma’s attempt to win two in succession.Montiel scored the winning penalty against France at the world cup finals and repeated this nervy task with the same positive outcome.notably, they had winners from the last winning team still available such as En-Nesyri, Ocampos, Suso, Bounou most importantly captain Navas part of the all conquering 2006,2007 and 2020 teams while Rakitic won with them in 2014 and was a key player in Barcelona’s treble winning team in 2015. it can be pointed out that the players from Seville had more winning mentality and experience at the highest level when compared to the team from the Italian capital such factors can become an advantage, they have also been serial winners in this tournament. probably the outcome would have been different if Mourinho had more quality at his disposal to implement his detailed and effective game plan, in all his European victories apart from the first when both sides scored, when Porto defeated Celtic in the 2003 Europa league finals, his four other title wins had his team score without conceding, they scored first then absorb pressure and add at least another goal although against Feyenoord in the inaugural conference league finals last season they held on to a slim lead which they converted to victory, in terms of a coaching edge, he had it over Mendilibar but fine margins determine the result of a final with two evenly matched teams and Sevilla are the champions, the Europa league’s most dominant side and their reward, a champions league qualification and a super cup match against major treble winners Manchester City, which they lost, they failed in Europe finishing at the bottom of their Champions League group, which kept them from reaching their favored competition, the Europa League, where they were unable to defend their title. The Europa League final saw Atlanta’s Nigerian star, Lukman leading the dismantling of the invincible Bayern Leverkusen. He scored all three goals, setting a new record. This victory helped Italy secure another title since Parma’s win in 1999, marking the tenth time. they’ve edged ahead of England’s nine titles. Italy is now four titles behind Spain, with Sevilla accounting for half of Spain’s fourteen. What’s another word for dominance?Without a doubt, Sevilla!
