Dnipro vs. Sevilla: Winners and Losers from 2015 Europa League Final

Sevilla claimed a record fourth UEFA Europa League title with a 3-2 victory over Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in a thrilling final Wednesday night in Warsaw, Poland.

Dnipro took an unexpected lead through Nikola Kalinic in the seventh minute, though the holders hit back with two goals in three minutes from Grzegorz Krychowiak and Carlos Bacca. Ruslan Rotan netted a fine free-kick just before half-time to cap an entertaining first half and draw Dnipro level at 2-2, but Bacca scored the winner 17 minutes from time.

The result means Spain will have five teams in the Champions League next season, with Sevilla joining Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia. 

Here are our choices for winners and losers from the match.

Winners: Sevilla and Unai Emery

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First, the obvious. Sevilla are winners simply by virtue of the final scoreline. But the winning goes deeper than that for Unai Emery's side, who were the best team in the Europa League all season and proved it with another fine display in the final.

That's not to say everything went according to plan. Sevilla trailed early in the match after Dnipro struck with a devastatingly direct attack in the seventh minute. But the Spanish side responded well and deserved to win on the night because of their superiority at both ends.

As Goal.com's Ben Hayward noted on Twitter, that's no small compliment to Emery and his team. Last summer, after winning the Europa League, Sevilla sold key players such as Ivan Rakitic, Federico Fazio and Alberto Moreno.

Those three brought a combined fee of €46 million, per TransferMarkt, and Emery invested the money wisely. In came Grzegorz Krychowiak, Timothee Kolodziejczak, Aleix Vidal, Ever Banega, Stephan Mbia and Daniel Carrico, and Sevilla improved.

The 2014-15 season represented an outstanding coaching job by Emery, and Wednesday's final was a showcase for both coach and club. Looking ahead to next season, there's no reason the Andalusian side can't make some noise in the Champions League.

With another good transfer window, Sevilla will be even stronger. And if Emery stays for another season, Los Rojiblancos will retain one of the most promising young managers in Europe. 

Now, however, it's time to revel in Sevilla's accomplishments. The Spaniards are the first four-time winners of the UEFA Cup/Europa League and just the third club to retain the crown in consecutive seasons. The last club to do so, almost inevitably, was Sevilla, in 2006 and 2007.

Speaking to Diario AS (h/t Football Espana) after the match, Emery said:

"

Reaching the final was the most important thing and once we did we had to enjoy it. I’m very happy here. We wanted this competition a lot, all Sevilla did. There have been a lot of finals, this the latest, against a very physical, strong team. The joy makes the work worthwhile.

We have always competed with many difficulties. We had to continue working whether the game was in our favour or against us. At half-time we talked and said we had to be calm because we were required to compete in attack and defence. This group deserves it.

"

Losers: Europa League Haters

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Swansea's Ashley Williams said he was "relieved" not to be playing in the Europa League next season. Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood said a lot of players "are not too interested" in the competition.

Those two—and so many others in England—are entitled to their opinions. But as Wednesday night's final showed, it's their loss.

This season, UEFA introduced a new incentive for the Europa League, with the winners earning a place in next season's Champions League, the top tier of European club competition.

It cannot be a complete coincidence that Wednesday's final turned out the way it did. Dnipro and Sevilla provided spectacular entertainment, giving both sets of fans reason to be proud and treating neutrals to a wonderful night of football. Meanwhile, in England, the Europa League continues to draw derision.

As B/R's Guillem Balague argued this week, that attitude might just hint at why the Premier League has fallen behind its European rivals. Balague wrote:

"

The chance to play in Europe at any level should be seen as a chance to grow as a club, to learn and not as an encumbrance nor as a chore. It should be viewed as an opportunity to give shining lights in what should be a vigorous, pro-active academy the chance to strut their stuff on a European stage or a platform for out-of-form or out-of-favour players to show their clubs what they are really made of.

"

Having claimed a place in next season's Champions League, Sevilla have undeniably grown as a club. Premier League clubs—and all others who denigrate the Europa League—should take notice.

Winners: Dnipro and Myron Markevych

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Regardless of the result, Dnipro were already winners before Wednesday's first kick. Before this season, the club had never gone past the quarter-final stage of a UEFA competition. This season, of all seasons, they went all the way to the Europa League final and earned plenty of admirers along the way. 

Because of the war in Ukraine, Dnipro had to play their Europa League home matches in Kiev, some 450 kilometres away from home. 

All of that added up to the kind of "David and Goliath" story that sportswriters adore. Dnipro, a largely unknown (at least outside Ukraine) European novice, versus Sevilla, the defending champions and a team that had won the Europa League a joint-record three times.

David didn't quite slay Goliath this time, but Dnipro did themselves—and their home country—proud with a determined performance that pushed Sevilla to the limit. Coach Myron Markevych and his players should hold their heads high despite defeat.

Loser: Dnipro's Late-Game Defending

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For all the praise that Dnipro will justifiably receive, it should be noted they were the architects of their own downfall on the decisive goal. That might sound harsh, but in the elevated level of competition during a European final, the distance between victory and defeat can be cruelly small.

For Dnipro, Sevilla's third goal was totally avoidable. After failing to clear their lines, the Ukrainians did too little to stop Sevilla from tearing straight through on goal. Vitolo played an excellent pass to Carlos Bacca, who finished with aplomb, but as journalist Keith Bailie noted on Twitter, "No Dnipro defender took charge of that situation." 

It seems simple to say now, but a single contribution from one player at any point of the sequence might have stopped the goal from happening. In fairness, Dnipro's players appeared exhausted after giving such a valiant effort. But for a team that had allowed only three goals over the previous three rounds, it had to have been a disappointing way to go out.

"We gave them the third goal," manager Myron Markevych told UEFA.com. "We should have cleared the ball but didn't."

Winner: Carlos Bacca

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Who else could it have been?

Carlos Bacca was the hero again for Sevilla, scoring twice and adding an assist. According to Opta, the Colombian scored five goals and handed out three assists in his final six Europa League games this season, which is quite an impressive record.

So is Bacca's haul of 28 goals in all competitions this season, a tally that will surely have several European clubs circling. Bacca is perhaps Sevilla's most valuable asset at this point, and it will be interesting to see if he sticks with the club this summer or leaves for a new challenge.