It was anything but good for Sevilla FC this season, but on Wednesday evening the Spanish team made it another successful football year in Hungarian Budapest. By winning the Europa League tournament, the team is assured of participation in the Champions League group stage after the summer.
With the current number eleven of La Liga, former PSV player Karim Rekik came in shortly after the start of the first extra time. As a left back, he created a dynamic forward against AS Roma, but it did not lead to any goals. The score after ninety minutes also turned out to be the score after 120 minutes, so penalties had to decide. “Roma was strong and made it difficult for us,” he said a day later, after a party in Hungary. ,,They have an experienced trainer (José Mourinho, ed.), who has experienced and won quite a few of these matches. Fortunately, we were able to turn it around.”
European price
This means that for Seville, which won against PSV in February, there is still a reason to be proud of the 2022-2023 football year. ,,The season has started difficult for us and to end it like this? It’s a dream come true,” says Rekik. The four-time international won the national title with PSV in 2015 and is now taking his second major prize as a professional football player. In 2011 he also won the European Championship with the Orange under 17. “That moment with PSV was great and I will never forget my life,” he says. ,,But now to win a European prize? I think this is even more beautiful.”
Rekik will close the season in San Sebastian with Sevilla on Sunday, with an away match at Real Sociedad. The 28-year-old defender goes with his team in the best atmosphere to the Basque Country, where Sevilla can still finish seventh in La Liga. Earlier this season there was even talk of relegation troubles. “We have a party first, but then we want to finish the competition in a good way.”
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