Villarreal goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli decided a marathon shootout by converting his own spot kick and then saving one from counterpart David de Gea as the Spanish team beat Manchester United 11-10 on penalties to win the Europa League final.
Key points:
- It took until the 22nd spot-kick of a penalty shootout for Villarreal to Manchester United in the Europa League final in Poland
- The win, which came after the final finished 1-1 after 120 minutes, clinched the Spanish side’s first major trophy
- The loss means Manchester United’s last piece of silverware remains the Europa League victory in 2017
After a 1-1 draw following extra time, all 10 outfield players from both teams made their penalties in the shootout — leaving it up to the two goalkeepers to take the 11th.
Rulli sent his penalty into the top corner but De Gea’s lacked power and was stopped by the Villarreal keeper.
It gave Villarreal its first major trophy and secured a fourth Europa League title for its coach, Unai Emery, who had previously won three titles in charge of Sevilla.
It also ensured that United went a fourth consecutive season without a trophy for the first time since the 1980s. United’s last silverware was the Europa League in 2017.
AP/Pool: Aleksandra Szmigiel
)“It’s not a successful season of course,” Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told a news conference after the game.
“Sometimes one kick defines a season as a good one and sometimes a kick defines it’s not. Nobody expected us to finish second in the league but the boys came up just short tonight unfortunately.
AP/Pool: Kacper Pempel
)On the night, United fell behind after Gerard Moreno stretched to reach Dani Parejo’s free kick and steered the ball past De Gea to open the scoring in the 29th minute.
They levelled 10 minutes into the second half when Edinson Cavani poked the ball home after collecting Marcus Rashford’s deflected shot, but they did not have the creativity — or the bench — to add another and were left ruing their two runners-up spots this season.
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“Second doesn’t count for nothing. Manchester City win the league, we finished second. Doesn’t mean nothing. Villarreal won the Europa League, we finished second. For us it’s nothing,” said Rashford.
“I don’t want to hear ‘they were so close’ because it means nothing. One winner, one loser. Today we lost. We have to find out why and make sure next time we don’t lose.”
Solskjaer, who said he had considered replacing De Gea with another keeper for the shootout given the Spaniard’s terrible record — 36 without a save after Wednesday’s game — said he was hoping the club would recruit “two or three” players to strengthen his starting 11 for next season.
“To win big trophies you have to show sacrifice. I know in every club they don’t have this sacrifice. In the top clubs they do. That’s why they win trophies.
“We’re close, I promise we’re close.”
United dominated the early possession but it was Villarreal who made the breakthrough. Gerard Moreno pushed past Victor Lindelöf at a free kick in the 29th minute and strained to prod Daniel Perejo’s cross past De Gea in the United goal.
United drew level with its own goal at a set piece when Edinson Cavani reacted most quickly to knock the ball in after Marcus Rashford’s low shot was deflected following a corner.
AP/Pool: Maja Hitij
)A video review ruled the Uruguayan onside for his sixth goal of the season in the Europa League, all of them in the last four games.
United could soon have had a second, if not for Rashford scuffing a shot wide when one-on-one with goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli. Another missed chance followed when Pau Torres blocked a Cavani header.
AP/Reuters
