Victor Moses was a beaten finalist in tonight’s Europa League climax as Sevilla came from behind to beat Inter Milan 3-2 on a dramatic evening in Cologne.
It means the Nigerian, who is on loan at the San Siro, won’t be adding another Europa League winners’ medal to his collection, having triumphed in the competition with Chelsea in 2013. Sevilla succeed the Blues as Europa League victors with their sixth triumph in 14 years.
Tonight Moses came on for the final quarter-of-an-hour with Inter trailing by the odd goal in five, and was soon involved in their best chance to equalise (pictured top). A cross reached him at the far post, and, after a couple of bodies crowded his effort out, the ball fell to fellow sub Alexis Sanchez whose stabbed shot was cleared off the line.
It proved the end of Inter’s hopes of winning a first trophy in nine years.
The evening had started so well for the Nerazzurri. Inside three minutes, Romelu Lukaku was fouled inside the box and he converted the resulting penalty, with Sevilla defender Diego Carlos perhaps fortunate not to see red. Those individual’s fortunes would soon change.
A pair of well-taken headers from Luuk de Jong, once of Newcastle, turned the game around by the 33rd minute, but Diego Godin quickly crashed home a header of his own to restore parity for Antonio Conte’s side.
Lukaku had a great chance to put Inter 3-2 up on the hour but was denied by the outstretched leg of Sevilla keeper Yassine Bounou, who had been so crucial in their semi-final success over Man United.
Then came the winner, as Inter again failed to deal with a set-piece delivery and Carlos’s overhead kick was inadvertently diverted into the net by Lukaku.
Moses was then brought on along with Sanchez and Christian Eriksen, but that would prove the end of the scoring on another special European night for Sevilla.