Liverpool might have felt like Europa League victory was their destiny after the breathtaking quarter-final victory over Borussia Dortmund. Sevilla, though, knew it was their destiny.
Already the winner of the most UEFA Cup/Europa League titles in the competition’s history as they arrived in Basel (and having won all of those four in the space of a decade), the Spanish side have now become the first team to win the trophy three years in a row.
The whirlwind fashion in which Unai Emery’s men began the second period, in which they ultimately blew the Reds away, said it all. Sevilla had staked everything on this, with a limp end to their La Liga campaign of one win in the last nine almost mirroring the shoddy start (no wins in the opening five) that had left them playing catch-up.
With that domestic tail-off, Emery and company jettisoned all hope of qualifying for the Champions League via their position in the table, eventually finishing 12 points behind fourth-placed Villarreal, who most impartial observers would agree have an inferior squad to the men from Estádio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuan.
As the prospect of completing this holy trinity loomed large – and with a place in the Copa del Rey final, which will played against Barcelona on Sunday, sealed as long ago as February – it was natural enough that Sevilla’s form became patchy, their demeanour distracted. That the one game they won in that poor end of season run was el derbi, against city rivals Real Betis. Even that was “only a pre-season game for us,” according to defender Adil Rami’s mocking commentary on Instagram, for which he later apologised.
Sevilla's Kevin Gameiro celebrates with the Europa League trophy after the match during the match at St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland. Picture by: Adam Davy / PA Wire/Press Association Images
Those weeks at half-tilt all made sense as Sevilla tore into the second half at St Jakob-Park. That Kevin Gamiero snaffled the equaliser made perfect sense; he’s a footballer of rare hunger, who has put ambition ahead of cash throughout his career and has flourished since stepping into the XI for the departed Carlos Bacca.
Later, Coke’s decisive brace was the epitome of their renewed approach after the break. The captain is the first-choice right-back, but was stationed in midfield, ahead of Mariano, in an ostensibly defensive ploy used a lot by Emery in recent weeks. Here, he was off the leash, and made himself a hero.
It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here. If we’re being totally honest, being able to successfully defend the title twice shows that Sevilla – at least on the pitch – are steady, rather than stratospheric improvers. Much like 2008 winners Zenit Saint Petersburg or Shakhtar Donetsk, who won the last edition of the trophy in its UEFA Cup version in 2009, they’ve found bridging the gap between domination of Europe’s second tier and the top table to be a long and complicated process.
Sevilla's Jose Antonio Reyes celebrates with the Europa League trophy after the match during the match at St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland. Picture by: Adam Davy / PA Wire/Press Association Images
They’ll get another good go next season, landing in pot 2 of the group stage draw and thus avoiding seasoned campaigners like Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen, Porto and Manchester City (assuming the last two get through the playoff round).
It might be an altered line-up though, with Gameiro extensively scouted by Barça as potential back to the MSN trio and midfield muse Éver Banega said to have already agreed a deal to go to Internazionale, though there is some dispute over his contractual status (it was notable that he wiped tears from his eyes as he was substituted late on). Sevilla will at least have a substantial hike in television income next season under the new broadcast deal with which to rebuild, as well as incoming transfer funds.
Sporting director Monchi, in his post since 2000 and responsible for the canny purchase and lucrative sale of gems from Dani Alves and Julio Baptista to Ivan Rakitic and Bacca, knows the score. Sevilla are not part of the very top bracket of clubs like Real Madrid and Barça, and never will be.
What they are is etched in the history of Spanish and European football. That already is plenty to be celebrate.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
