FIVE YEARS ON FROM THE THIRD EUROPA LEAGUE IN THE JUVENTUS STADIUM

120 minutes of intense football had gone by as Benfica looked for the goal to break the Béla Guttmann curse that had been talked about so much in the days before, the Portuguese club having lost their last seven European finals. Sevilla demonstrated the composure that they lacked in the previous European finals and that they had gained through winning three European titles, added to their domestic success. The Portuguese side demonstrated their quality in normal and extra-time but it had now come down to who had the most mental strength in front of the goal behind which Sevilla's supporters were sat.

The shootout did not even reach five penalties as, after three shots for each team, the situation was very clear. Bacca and Mbia, despite ending the match injured, scored against the budding Oblak and they were followed by the ever-reliable Coke. Although Lima was successful against Beto, the Portuguese goalkeeper denied Cardozo and Rodrigo, leaving Luisao with no margin for error. He did not slip up, meaning that Kevin Gameiro had the chance to win the trophy for Sevilla.

Beto guessed right to deny Cardozo and Rodrigo, allowing Gameiro to win the shootout for Sevilla with an unstoppable strike

Gameiro, too, had left it all out on the pitch and needed to find one last bit of energy to bring a third Europa League trophy back to Nervión. Looking Oblak in the eyes, the French striker took two long strides followed by two shorter steps, before sending an unsavable right-footed shot into the back of the net. The shot was struck so hard that the Slovenian goalkeeper barely had a second to see where the ball was going. The ball ripped into the back of the net, pushing it back in the direction of the Sevillistas stood behind it. As soon as it went in, Gameiro began running in the same direction and was soon followed by the players and coaches, forming a triumphant circle that Sevilla fans have seen so many times in this competition.

While the legend of Guttmann lived on in one side of the stadium, in the other there was pure elation to celebrate a trophy that would kickstart the second cycle of European trophies in the 21st Century for Sevilla FC. The campaign brought some unforgettable memories for the club: from the penalty shootout in the Villamarín to Mbia's famous goal in the Mestalla. Without these moments, the team would have never got to Turin and, as time has gone on, especially in Mbia's case, they have almost become more famous than the penalty shootout itself in Turin that brought Sevilla their third Europa League.