Sevilla is more well known as the dark horse in Spanish football. They mainly play in Europa League and even hold the record as the team with the most title. Yet, in UEFA Champions League, the Andalusian side have only made less than ten appearances. Their constant return started in late 2000s and their home turf, the 42,714-seat Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan has created lively atmosphere for European nights in Seville.
There have not been many names who thrived in Sevilla’s campaign in the Champions League. Some of those who had been lucky enough to make noteworthy progress in this championship were Antoinet, Pepin, Valero, Wissam Ben Yedder, Clement Lenglet, Ever Banega and Simon Kjaer. Meanwhile, for the managers, there are very few names who contributed well in the Champions League. Diego Villalonga and Vicenzo Montella were surprisingly the ones who did so, despite the fact that they are less famous than Unai Emery, Juande Ramos or even Julen Lopetegui who won the trophy in Europa League.
Top Achievements
Sevilla’s best results were, as a matter of fact, only progressing to the quarter finals. They did it twice with the first one in their maiden Champions League in 1957/58 season. Yet, their campaign eventually ended on the hand of the defending Champions, Real Madrid. Their next one took place in 2017/18 season. The Andalusian side eliminated Manchester United to take on Bayern Munich at the quarter final but once again lost at this stage in a tight clash. Their 1-2 defeat at their home turf was the key factor of their failed campaign in that season.
Iconic Moments in the Champions League
Their unforgettable moments have been mostly in late 2000s onwards. In 2007/08, Sevilla managed to crush Arsenal 3-1 at the group stage. The next one was in 2015/16 season. At the group stage, they thumped Juventus 1-0 through a single goal of Fernando Llorente. After that in 2017/18, Wissam Ben Yedder and Co were able to hold Liverpool in a thrilling draws in both home and away games. What’s more, both fixtures were in a goal galore with 5-5 in aggregate. The last one and most distinguished one was when they stunned Manchester United 2-1 in Old Trafford. Ben Yedder was the man of the match with his brace. The home side could only reply once by Romelu Lukaku.
Sevilla’s most unexpected moments took place in 2009/10 season. At that time, they were the favourites to go through to the quarter final but was beaten by CSKA Moscow and his star, Keisuke Honda. In 2016/17, the history repeated again as Leicester City eliminated them by 3-2 win in aggregate.
