German club Eintracht Frankfurt clinched its first European title on Wednesday in 40 years after beating Scottish side Rangers 5-4 in penalties in the UEFA Europa League final.
Wales star Aaron Ramsey missed the only kick of the shoot-out when he sent a weak effort down the middle which saw saved by the trailing leg of Frankfurt's keeper Kevin Trapp.
Colombian Rafael Borré then kept his cool with Eintracht's first chance to win seize the trophy and fired high into the net to send the travelling contingent from Frankfurt in Seville wild.
The final finished 1-1 at the end of extra time as Nigerian international Joe Aribo gave the Scottish side the lead in the 57th minute but Rafael Borre converted from close range to bring Frankfurt level midway through the second half at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
Frankfurt had already beaten Real Betis, Barcelona and West Ham en route to the final and it was probably deserving winner, shading a compelling contest that always seemed to lack real technical quality. The club went undefeated throughout the entire Europa League campaign.
The Europa League is only Frankfurt's second continental title after the 1980 UEFA Cup and victory also enters them into the group stage of the Champions League next season despite their midtable Bundesliga finish, along with four compatriots led by Bayern Munich.
It will return to Europe’s top club competition for the first time since 1960, when it lost in the European Cup final to Real Madrid in Glasgow.
Rangers were also looking to become the first Scottish winners of a European trophy since 1983 while ending their own 50-year hunger for European silverware, with the last being Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972.
It came up just short at the end of an incredible run to the final. Only ten years ago this week, Rangers fell into administration before being liquidated and relegated to Scotland's bottom tier.
The Scottish club also lost to Zenit St. Petersburg in the 2008 UEFA Cup.
With a capacity of just under 43,000, Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was never going to be big enough to house all the travelling fans, with Rangers bringing over an estimated 100,000 while around 60,000 followed Frankfurt to Spain.
The vast majority enjoyed the day in good spirits but security concerns were not unfounded, with skirmishes breaking out in the city center during the day on Wednesday while five German fans were arrested late on Tuesday night after police said 200 Frankfurt fans launched an attack on Rangers supporters. The police said they also threw flares, tables and bottles at officers.
Frankfurt and Rangers fans again clashed on the streets of Sevilla a few hours before the final. Several hundred Frankfurt fans were seen attacking a few dozen Rangers supporters outside a bar on the streets of the southern Spanish city hosting the final of the second-tier European competition. The fans threw chairs and tables at each other, and a couple of Rangers fans were seen collapsing after being beaten.
Some Frankfurt fans had their faces covered as they confronted the Scottish supporters. The confrontation ended after police officers arrived and the German supporters fled.
Frankfurt fans had already caused problems in the city ahead of the team’s game against Seville club Real Betis in the round of 16.
