It was like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object on Wednesday. Sevilla and Jose Mourinho are both European titans, but the latter has now lost his perfect record in the European finals. He was also looking to back up his Conference League victory with Roma last season with a Europa League win here.
Mourinho was bidding for a record sixth victory in a major European final that would have seen him eclipse legendary Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni, who has won five major European trophies. But after reaching back-to-back European finals his reputation appears to have been restored after damaging departures from both Manchester United and Tottenham. The 60-year-old declined to comment on his future pre-match but has been heavily linked with a move away from Rome this summer to a club that would likely hand him a considerably larger transfer budget than he has worked to in the Italian capital.
Despite having a contract until 2024, there is the thought he will move on in pursuit of a club that he could guide to a third Champions League success, with Paris St-Germain heavily rumored to be interested, Mourinho said: "My future? I am serious, I said a few months ago that if I had contact with any other club I would tell the owners, I would not do anything in secret. "I spoke to the club in December when Portugal asked me, so far I haven't spoken to anyone because there is no team I have spoken to. "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."
