Sevilla bask in Mestalla glory

Stéphane Mbia scored deep into added time to take Sevilla FC to the UEFA Europa League final on away goals having seen a 2-0 first-leg lead over Valencia CF turned into a 3-2 deficit at the Mestalla and Ivan Rakitić said: "There aren't words to explain tonight," while former Sporting Clube de Portugal midfielder Daniel Carriço told UEFA.com that meeting SL Benfica in Turin on 14 May will be special.

Daniel Carriço, Sevilla midfielder
I feel tremendous joy and happiness. We have wanted to reached the final ever since the tournament started for us [in early August]. We worked hard and in the end we were lucky enough to get the goal. With all this our work is accomplished and we are excited and happy. Thank God we're in the final.

We all knew that Mestalla is a hard place to come and we started the game badly. We left a lot of space in defence and we paid a bit. Now we can enjoy the moment a little and it is great to be playing in the final.

From the beginning we have been excited about this competition, which has given much to Sevilla since the club won it twice in the past and now we expect to win a third. The final will be a special match, especially for me since I'm Portuguese, plus [Benfica] were my rivals in Portugal. It will be difficult but we believe we can win.

Carlos Bacca, Sevilla striker
I do not know if this is the best experience I've had on the pitch but being in a European final is very nice and thank God we made it. We have worked for it and we succeeded against a great team like Valencia. Describing the moment when Mbia scored is difficult, but we fought until the last second with our strengths and weaknesses.

It's very nice to play a European final with Sevilla in my first season at this club. I came here because Sevilla are a big club and we fight for achievements like this. Our fans are brilliant. They supported us throughout the match and always, at all times.

The final will be difficult against Benfica as they have had a great season and have eliminated one of the strongest teams in the competition. Finals are not for playing, they are for winning. In my dreams I would score the winning goal in the final, but the most important thing is that we manage to win the title.

Ivan Rakitić, Sevilla midfielder
There aren't words to explain tonight, this match. Thanks to God, this match has gone so well for us. Now we have to prepare well and go on. We have to enjoy this moment. Hopefully we can lift the trophy, but we know it will be very difficult. Benfica are a very experienced team and we must think positively. We will go for the cup.