UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League final shoot-outs

Love them or hate them – and RCD Espanyol have more reason to hate them than anyone – penalty shoot-outs guarantee drama, with six UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League finals going down to this particular kind of bitter end.

1984: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 RSC Anderlecht
(agg: 2-2, Tottenham win 4-3 on pens)
Arnór Gudjohnsen – whose son Eidur later played for Spurs – had the misfortune to have the decisive penalty saved by Tony Parkes, deputising for the more experienced Ray Clemence who was recovering from a broken collarbone. "Tony was a confident young man – a boy with a tough East End [of London] upbringing – and he had no fear," recalled team-mate Paul Miller. "He was also a good shot-stopper, a natural for penalties."

1988: Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3-0 RCD Espanyol
(agg: 3-3, Leverkusen win 3-2 on pens)
Having lost the first leg 3-0, Leverkusen turned the tie around with a 3-0 success in Germany, and while Ralf Falkenmeyer failed from their first attempt in the shoot-out, Espanyol missed their last three – making Klaus Täuber's conversion the clincher. "When I converted our penalty to make it 3-2 and their player then missed, I was so euphoric – full of endorphins!" the forward said. "That day! It would be so great to live it just once more."

1997: FC Internazionale Milano 1-0 FC Schalke 04
(agg: 1-1, Schalke win 4-1 on pens)
Schalke's nerve held after a 1-0 loss in Milan, while Iván Zamorano and Aron Winter were each unable to convert for Inter. As it was, Marc Wilmots had the honour of putting away the winning kick. "It was the most important shot of my life and it opened up new horizons for Schalke," he recalled. "It was a wake-up call for everyone – in 1997, Schalke were a small club. Every round we got through was a big success for us. Nobody expected us to achieve so much."

2000: Galatasaray AŞ 0-0 Arsenal FC
(aet, Galatasaray win 4-1 on pens)
To Gheorghe Popescu went the glory of slotting the decider in Copenhagen as Galatasaray became Turkey's first European trophy winners – not that he remembers much about it. "I only remember the moment when I put the ball on the spot and stepped back a few steps," he told UEFA.com. "After that I woke up beside the fans, being hugged by the other players. Probably that memory loss was triggered by the joy of having scored that penalty."

2007: RCD Espanyol 2-2 Sevilla FC
(aet, Sevilla win 3-1 on pens)
Espanyol's misery was boundless when they lost a second UEFA Cup final on penalties; Antonio Puerta netted Sevilla's climactic third, after Andrés Palop had saved from Luis García, Jônatas and Marc Torrejón in the shoot-out at Glasgow's Hampden Park. "Before the penalties I was really nervous," admitted the goalkeeper as he celebrated the Andalusians' second successive UEFA Cup triumph. "Penalties are about intuition and luck – and it was on our side."

2014: Sevilla FC 0-0 SL Benfica
(aet, Sevilla win 4-2 on pens)
Benfica's second UEFA Europa League final defeat in as many seasons, and Sevilla's third success in the competition, was ultimately determined by Kévin Gameiro's finish after Beto had kept out Óscar Cardozo and Rodrigo. "I know that he is a cool player, a player who handles pressure well," said the custodian of watching the final conversion. "I just wanted him to score, so when he did it was like a great explosion of the heart. A lot of pride and joy."