Swissquote Match Analysis: 2023 UEFA Europa League final

Sevilla clinched the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League title for a remarkable seventh time in 18 years thanks to a 4-1 penalty shoot-out defeat of Roma in Budapest, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou emerging the hero after the scoreline had ended 1-1.

The 2023 final was the third consecutive showpiece to be decided via spot kicks, and it spelled joy for a Sevilla team looking to continue their excellent record in the competition. As for Roma, they were hoping for a second successive European trophy following last season's inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League triumph.

It was the Giallorossi who struck first as Paulo Dybala coolly finished from a Gianluca Mancini pass after 35 minutes, though Mancini then levelled the scores with an own goal on 55 minutes. Extra time followed, but although both teams went close, neither could add a second goal.

That meant a session of spot kicks in front of the 13,000 travelling Sevilla fans, and it was those supporters in a wall of white who returned home delighted following yet another victory in this competition. Gonzalo Montiel ultimately buried the decisive penalty, albeit after he had missed at the first attempt, the defender settling the shoot-out just as he had for Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.

In this article brought to you by Swissquote, the UEFA Technical Observer panel picks out several key tactical details from a match played in front of 61,476 spectators at the stunning Puskás Aréna.

Goals

1-0: Dybala (35)
An unexpected starter after four matches out with an ankle injury, Paulo Dybala ran onto a through pass from Gianluca Mancini, who also assisted the goal in last season's Europa Conference League final. Mancini threaded the ball between Jesús Navas and Loïc Badé, and Dybala – reborn in Rome – let it run across him before firing a left-footed shot low into the bottom right-hand corner.

1-1: Mancini og (55)
The creator of the opening goal inadvertently sent the ball past his own goalkeeper with his knee. Jesús Navas aimed in a cross from the right and Mancini, facing his own goal with Sevilla players around him, was put under most pressure by Youssef En-Nesyri.

Team formations

Sevilla

Roma

Features

Roma's defensive solidity was already well known and best illustrated in the two legs of their semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen. It was quickly apparent in Budapest too – and picked up by all the UEFA Technical Observers watching the game.

"Roma were defensively solid, focused and minimised any threats from Sevilla, defending the long balls and crosses well in the first half," they said. "The 5-3-2 was clear, yet here we also see the flexibility of the system. We see Lorenzo Pellegrini sprint from his position to check a Sevilla full-back.

"Sevilla had to try to go wide because Roma were so well organised, with men doubling up on Sevilla players if necessary to stop the Spanish side creating chances. Roma even encouraged Sevilla to go wide before doubling up on their wing-backs.

"Roma had to work incredibly hard to do this, running hard and maintaining a high press. As a result, they were never open to a counterattack and Sevilla got very little in the first half."

Roma kept this intensity up for the opening period. Leonardo Spinazzola had a shot on goal as early as the 11th minute, but the Italian outfit finally broke the deadlock after a brilliant transition.

"Tammy Abraham was always a target man for Roma," noted the observers. "He would receive the ball, lay it off and make runs behind the Sevilla defenders. He worked hard to close the gaps and make Roma more compact and also came back to defend set pieces, with his height (and that of Nemanja Matić) used as an advantage. Every Roma player was behind the ball at set pieces. Sevilla were also well organised at set pieces."

When Sevilla had an opportunity to cross the ball, Roma made sure they had men close to the white shirts in the box. Only 15% of Sevilla's crosses were effective in the first half, and the Spanish side were thus restricted to shots from distance, notably from Ivan Rakitić. And because Roma were so well organised, physically stronger and deep when they needed to be, they were very difficult to get behind in the first period.

The second main talking point is how Sevilla performed in possession and some intriguing aspects of this, notably the way Ivan Rakitić moved into the position of a false full-back. At times when he dropped deep in the first half, Roma went straight onto him – in keeping with their man-to-man intentions – and it was difficult to progress the ball. However, this lessened in the second half when the Croatian enjoyed more space, and Sevilla's own full-backs could also come very deep.

"Sevilla's play was not like the classic Sevilla where the strikers cut in because that hadn't worked," was one observation. "They'd also tried hard to counter Roma but came up against a solid defensive block and a defence shielded by Matić. They had to change their way of thinking in the second period. They had to play faster to stretch Roma and bring Erik Lamela on to get into better positions and stretch the play – a move which worked. They played in a similar way against Juventus in the semi-finals, and that gave them good preparation for an Italian opponent in the final."

Sevilla also began to win more second balls. "This was because they didn't have many players in the box but in a position to win the second balls. It was also because Roma cleared so many of their balls with headers, especially Chris Smalling."

José Luis Mendilibar's side had been pushed wide by Roma in the first half, with little effect because they couldn't break the Roma rearguard and hit crosses from in front of the defence.

"This changed in the second half when Sevilla stretched the game and got into better positions to cross from," noted a Technical Observer. "One such position and cross, delivered by Jesús Navas, would lead to the equalising goal. Roma found it harder to close spaces; it was very difficult for them to maintain the intensity of the first half.

"Jesús Navas got higher in the second half and, as the game went on, Sevilla's pressure and greater possession (64% Sevilla, 36% Roma) meant the distances increased between the Roma players, which allowed Rakitić to exploit those spaces with a variety of balls forward into the final third. Sevilla were looking for more variety to break Roma down, especially in the second half, and Rakitić getting wide helped this."

Sevilla were more effective with combinations in the wide areas in the second period. They had more joy in one vs one situations, and it was from a combination that they were initially awarded a 75th-minute penalty, later overturned by VAR. Sevilla got closer to the Roma goal and had more efforts towards it, but that was also because the Giallorossi defended deeper after the break.

"Sevilla put a lot of crosses in with little success against such a strong defence, but one led to the goal." That goal would equalise matters, at least until the penalties.

Assessments from the camps

José Luis Mendilibar, Sevilla coach: "When they scored against us, you think that it will be very difficult to score against them. The equaliser came quickly in the second half and gave us the strength to continue in the fight to win the game.

"We started badly; they played comfortably. And then, in the second half, we changed and it was tough. In extra time, nothing happened, but we had the success of the penalties.

"Taking a penalty in training and then taking one with 60,000 fans is nothing like the same. We hadn't practised in any of the previous rounds. We had confidence in the people who were going to take them.

"I'm happy to be here, to have won for the club, which was having a hard time when we got here. We've done something good that can have repercussions for the good of the club. When I take a holiday, I will know what we have done."

José Mourinho, Roma coach: "I've won five finals and I lost this one, but I'm coming back home proud again. The boys gave everything. We are all attached to the shirt, to our nature. We take things seriously and humbly; we work a lot. Everyone reacts in a different way: one cries, the other doesn't. The truth is that we are all very sad, with or without crying. Great match, great final – intense, vibrant."

Chris Smalling, Roma defender: "It's a big disappointment. When it comes to penalties, it's hard to lose. We were determined to win and we left everything on the pitch. Seeing others celebrate will stay with us for a long time. We must try to have another chance next season. Mourinho was very proud of us at the end of the game. He said we have always been together and we must be strong because we win and lose together."

Yassine Bounou, Sevilla goalkeeper: "I've had a lot of moments like this and I realised that you must be very calm to deal with them. My team-mates also give me a lot of calm and security. Congratulations to all the guys and to all of Seville. This year has been full of emotions, between the World Cup and today. Sometimes you don't really analyse what's going on. I've always said that I am a man of the club, ready to defend Sevilla. Mendilibar trusted me and I must repay his trust."