Sevilla made it two Europa League titles on the trot in 2015, just as they had done in 2006 and 2007 in the old UEFA Cup format, defeating a Dnipro side who confounded all expectations to reach the final.
In an entertaining final, the Rojiblancos won 3-2, with Carlos Bacca emerging as the hero with two goals.
CHANGES
As well as teams from Russia and Ukraine being banned from being drawn against each other, sides from Israel were also prohibited from hosting any UEFA competition matches due to the ongoing Gaza conflict. From this season onwards, teams would be required to adhere to Financial Fair Play rules, while the famous vanishing spray was introduced for the first time. In a tournament that was increasingly rewarding smaller sides with a European adventure, Torino, Feyenoord, Guingamp, Saint-Étienne, Rio Ave, Dynamo Moscow, Krasnodar, Lokeren, Asteras Tripoli, Qarabağ, HJK, Astra Giurgiu, Dinamo Minsk, AaB, and Wolfsburg made their debuts in the Europa League group stage that season, although Wolfsburg had featured previously in the knockout stages after being demoted from the Champions League.
SUMMARY
Sevilla started the defence of their title in a tricky group, taking on Feyenoord, Rijeka and Standard Liege and in the end they progressed in second behind the Dutch outfit.
Six sides impressively went through to the knockout stages without losing a match – Borussia Monchengladbach, Club Brugge, Besiktas, Red Bull Salzburg, Dynamo Moscow, and Inter. The biggest win came via Steaua Bucuresti who destroyed Aab 6-0.
The Round of 32 produced some intriguing ties; Celtic were paired with Inter, and it would be the Serie A side who would progress 4-3 on aggregate after a Fredy Guarin thunderbolt in the second leg. Tottenham were eliminated by Fiorentina, Mo Salah on target for La Viola, while a Gervinho goal sent Roma through at the expense of Feyenoord. Liverpool were surprisingly defeated by Besiktas on penalties, while goals from Salomon Rondon and Hulk were enough…
Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/season-reviews/sevilla-retain-their-crown-to-end-dnipro-fairytale-europa-league-2014-15/36
Author : editors@footballcritic.com (Martin Macdonald)
Publish date : 2024-07-21 09:00:00
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