What a difference a year makes. After a disastrous stint at Real Madrid last season, coach Julen Lopetegui has led Sevilla to a record sixth Europa League title. The Spanish side defeated Inter Milan behind closed doors last night in Cologne, in an action-packed final match that ended 3-2.

Sevilla defender Diego Carlos conceded his third penalty in as many consecutive Europa League games in the opening minutes of last night's match. He fouled Romelu Lukaku, who promptly scored his 34th goal of the season to give Inter the lead in the 5th minute.

The Spanish side took the momentum back quickly, thanks to double headers from Luuk de Jong in the 12th and 33rd minute. However, Sevilla wasn't able to sit back to enjoy their lead for very long. Inter's big-name signing from Atletico Madrid, Diego Godin, scored the equaliser in the 33rd minute.

The entire first half was an intense exchange that didn't allow either team to calm down and set the pace. After the break, the tempo significantly changed and it looked like the match might be forced into extra time.

The cast of the opening goal also orchestrated the play that decided the match in the 74th minute. This time, it was Carlos who played the hero and it was Lukaku who made the mistake. The Sevilla defender met a high ball with an overhead kick which appeared to have been going just wide. In an attempt to block the strike, Lukaku stuck out his leg and ended up deflecting the ball past his own goalkeeper.

Sevilla have established themselves as the kings of the Europa League, having dominated the competition in the past decade. Meanwhile, Inter coach Antonio Conte feels the pressure despite having taken the club up to second place in the Serie A, their best finish since the 2010-11 season.

"I don't have many regrets now, my players gave really everything they had against a team used to playing these kind of games," said Conte, as quoted by the BBC. It remains to be seen if he will be able to keep his job. For now, he says that it's time to take a few days off before meeting with the club "with cool heads."

Luuk de Jong
Sevilla player Luuk De Jong POOL / Ina Fassbender
Romelu Lukaku