Sevilla are the Europa League Special Ones! Winners and losers as Jose Mourinho and Roma lose out after never-ending advert for anti-football

Dybala clearly wasn't fully fit. Let's face it, he rarely is. But while his injury issues have long been an immense source of frustration, the talent has been in doubt, which is precisely why Mourinho was willing to take a massive gamble by starting a player who had come into this final still struggling with an ankle injury.

Dybala is, by some distance, Roma's most talented attacker. Time and time again in his debut season at the Stadio Olimpico, he has been their difference-maker, even when restricted to the role of impact sub. So, it really wasn't that surprising to see the Argentine break the deadlock in Budapest.

It wasn't the sweetest of strikes from that legendary left foot, with the ball bobbling over Bono's left foot and into the back of the net, but that mattered not a job to a delighted Dybala. Of course, La Joya ended up in tears, with the 29-year-old forced to watch on helplessly during the shootout having been inevitably withdrawn well before the end of normal time.

But selecting Dybala proved a risk well worth taking, just like his signing last summer, as underlined by the 17th goal of an injury-interrupted season.

Mourinho might not be the only high-profile departure at Rome this summer, with Abraham being recently linked with a return to the Premier League. Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa are all said to be interested in the striker. Any of their respective fans who tuned into this particular contest will probably now be wondering why.

Abraham missed the one great chance which came his way, during a scramble in the six-yard box, and ended up spending most of his time trying - and failing - to convince his compatriot Anthony Taylor that he had been fouled.

Of course, one shouldn't judge a player on a single showing, but this performance was very much in keeping with Abraham's entire campaign. He scored 27 times during his first year in Rome, but this season has been an absolute shocker, yielding just nine goals in 53 appearances, and illustrating exactly why Gareth Southgate left the Londoner out of his squad for the 2022 World Cup.

So much of the pre-game talk centred around Mourinho that the absolutely incredible job that Jose Luis Mendilibar has done since taking over at Sevilla in March went almost completely ignored. When he was parachuted into the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, he had a massive rescue job on his hands, with the Rojiblancos 14th in the table and in serious danger of relegation because of the congested nature of the bottom of the Liga standings.

However, Sevilla have lost just two of their 11 games since to secure safety with something to spare, while at the same time reaching yet another Europa League final. And that was all thanks to a coach whose last taste of continental competition had come with Athletic Club in the Intertoto Cup 18 years ago!

Mendilibar's contract is set to run out this summer, but one can be certain that he'll be offered a new deal after overseeing Sevilla's stunning, late-season turnaround. The 62-year-old - who is now the oldest Europa League-winning coast in history - said before the final that Mourinho is "always the main man" on such occasions, but right now, it's him.

While Montiel was celebrating another decisive spot-kick, just a few months after winning the World Cup for Argentina, Gianluca Mancini was in agony. The final had started so well for the centre-back, who created the game's opening goal for Dybala with a superb pass from just inside the Sevilla half.

However, it was Mancini who deflected in the Jesus Navas cross that levelled the match. Even more heartbreak was to follow, with the 27-year-old missing his spot-kick in the shootout.

Safe to say that it will be some time before Mancini gets over this toughest of defeats.

Mourinho's fury and frustration were obvious after the shootout. He immediately threw his runners-up medal into the crowd and then, during a post-match interview in which he said that the "referee seemed Spanish, he hinted at a summer exit.

Mourinho explained that he is "tired" of having to do so much at Roma, which was widely interpreted as a shot at both his employers and the club's sporting director, Tiago Pinto.

So, if he does depart after his most painful of defeats, it is worth sparing a thought for the poor guy that will have to succeed him as Roma coach. It's not just about the two trophies, after all. It's about the bond he's formed with the fans, who will be furious if he is allowed to leave by The Friedkin Group.

As he said before the game, no matter the result, he'd be forever tied to the club, and that goes far beyond results. Right from his arrival in 2021, it's been mainly about passion and pride, resulting in a sold-out Stadio Olimpico nearly every single time Roma played a home game.

So, while there is clearly room for improvement at a club that has failed to finish in the top four in each of Mourinho's two seasons in the Italian capital, replacing the charismatic coach will not be easy.

It rarely is, of course, but it's borderline impossible after he's made the fans fall in love with him. Just ask former Inter boss Rafael Benitez...

Someone's '0' was always going to go in Budapest. Sevilla had won all six of their previous Europa League finals, while Mourinho was five from five in UEFA deciders. For a long time, it appeared that the latter's perfect record would remain intact with Roma frustrating their opponents with their deep-lying defence while also occasionally threatening in attack.

However, there is simply no stopping Sevilla in this tournament. As club president Jose Castro pointed out on the eve of the final, a lot of clubs would have focused solely on survival given their perilous position in the Liga standings in March, but the Europa League remains "like a religion" for the Andalusians, and they never lost faith in their bid for a seventh title.

Mourinho argued that history wouldn't be a factor in Hungary, but if this final proved anything, it's that Sevilla's football heritage is an unstoppable force and intrinsically entwined with the Europa League. When it comes to this particular cup, it is they who are the Special Ones.

Anyone who has followed Roma over the past couple of seasons will already have been well aware of their constant and embarrassing attempts to vociferously contest every single call made during a game. But the passing of time has made such odious behaviour any easier to stomach.

Indeed, it was both bewildering and infuriating to see the likes of Lorenzo Pellegrini appealing for non-existent penalties, or Bryan Cristante being booked for requesting that the referee issue yellow cards to opponents for innocuous fouls. And, as usual, the touchline tantrums being thrown by Mourinho, his bench and his coaching staff were even more pathetic than the on-field harassment of the officials.

By the end in Budapest, there were two sides at it. However, while there's genuinely a lot to like about this painfully limited but admirably united Roma squad, given what they've achieved over past two years, their pathetic play-acting, time-wasting tactics and relentless whining make it hard to feel sorry for them when results go against them.

The sight of Mourinho berating Taylor and his team in the underground carpark after the game, ludicrously labelling their handling of the final a "f*cking disgrace", will likely be the abiding memory of his Roma tenure. And, sadly, that feels fitting.