UEFA Europa League final stats and facts
Thursday, May 15, 2014
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Sevilla FC became the first side to win the UEFA Europa League in a shoot-out while Unai Emery, Ivan Rakitić and José Antonio Reyes all entered the record books in their own right.
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• The match between Sevilla FC and SL Benfica in Turin was the first UEFA Europa League final to end goalless and the first to be decided on penalties.
• It was just the fourth penalty shoot-out in five seasons of the UEFA Europa League, group stage to final. As in the previous three, the winning team scored four spot kicks. Sevilla were also victorious in the competition's only other shoot-out of 2013/14, winning 4-3 at city rivals Real Betis Balompié after a pair of 2-0 away triumphs in the round of 16.
• Sevilla's Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitić was the first player to captain a team to victory in the UEFA Europa League final and also pick up the official man of the match award.
• Unai Emery became the third different Spanish coach to win the UEFA Europa League – after Quique Sánchez Flores (Club Atlético de Madrid, 2010) and Rafael Benítez (Chelsea FC, 2013).
• Benfica became the first club to lose two UEFA Europa League finals, their shoot-out reverse against Sevilla coming 12 months after a 2-1 defeat by Chelsea in Amsterdam. Jorge Jesus is also the first coach to lose two UEFA Europa League finals.
• The result in Turin means that Spanish teams have won three of the four UEFA Europa League finals that they have contested, the only beaten side being Athletic Club in the all-Spanish decider against Atlético in 2012. In direct contrast, Portuguese clubs have lost three of the four finals they have appeared in, the sole victory being that of FC Porto in the all-Portuguese showpiece of 2011 against SC Braga.
• Sevilla will reappear in the UEFA Europa League next season, meaning that Chelsea, this term, are the only competition winners not to have defended the trophy. No holders have ever progressed beyond the round of 32, Porto and Atlético having both been eliminated at that stage in 2011/12 and 2012/13 respectively. Inaugural winners Atlético were knocked out at the group stage in 2010/11.
• Sevilla used 25 players during their triumphant 15-match campaign, with Rakitić making the most outings, 14, followed by Carlos Bacca and Vitolo, both on 13. The team's top scorer was Kevin Gameiro, with five goals – three fewer than the tournament's leading marksman in 2013/14, Jonatan Soriano of FC Salzburg, whose eight goals came in just seven appearances.