Sevilla clinched an unprecedented sixth Europa League title.
The Belgian Romelu Lukaku had put the Nerazzurri ahead in the fifth minute from the spot, but Julen Lopetegui‘s side Sevilla hit back twice from Luuk De Jong’s headed efforts.
Diego Godin leveled the terms soon after, but Lukaku made a huge mistake in the second half by inadvertently tapping Diego Carlos‘ overhead kick into his own net from five yards out.
Here are the major talking points from the Cologne final:
Nerazzurri rue missed chances
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Inter Milan scored twice but could’ve easily had more on the night and comfortably gone home with the trophy. However, some frustrating misses deterred that from happening. The prolific strike pair of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku were both guilty of missing one-on-one after a wonderful counter-attacking move.
The latter especially missed a gilt-edged chance to put Nerazzurri back in front in the second-half by firing straight at Yassine Bounoun for which they were made to pay at the other end shortly after, while Danilo D’Ambrosio headed one his efforts into row Z after being put through on goal.
Godin shows up but no luck again
Diego Godin has not only been one of the best centre-backs of the last decade but also one of the best at set-pieces. Most of his career goals have come from those situations, including one in the 2014 Champions League final for Atletico Madrid. He was on target last night too, proving what a clutch player he is, but like six years ago, it counted for nothing eventually.
Diego Godin is the sixth player, and first defender, to score in both the Champions League final and the Europa League final: Allan Simonsen, Dmitri Alenichev, Hernan Crespo, Steven Gerrard, Pedro.
— Richard Jolly 🇺🇦 (@RichJolly) August 21, 2020
From ecstasy to agony – Lukaku’s season crumbles spectacularly
After his frustrating spell with Manchester United, Romelu Lukaku bounced back to his best with Inter Milan. With 33 goals for the season going into the finals, the Belgian was in the form of his life and even put the Nerazzurri ahead with a spot-kick early on. It was all going so well but as they say, even the best-laid plans of men and mice oft go awry.
With the match tied at 2-2 and supposedly heading for an extra-time, Lukaku accidentally poked Diego Carlos’ overhead kick into his net with just 17 minutes left on the clock. The Sevillistas, out of nowhere, were back in front and never relinquished the lead. From the protagonist to the pantomime in no time, Lukaku’s fairytale season came to a crumbling end.
What did you make of the Europa League final?