Falcao, Villas-Boas, Delaney and Platini: Looking back on the last Europa League final in Dublin
Thousands of German and Italian supporters are making the journey to these shores for tomorrow’s Europa League final as Bayer Leverkusen take on Atalanta at Lansdowne Road.
But 13 years ago, it was an all-Portuguese affair here. It was the first time two sides from Portugal met in a UEFA competition final when Porto faced Braga in front of a crowd of 45,391 in Dublin 4.
Just 47km separates the two cities and just a single goal separated them that May night with Colombian striker Radamel Falcao netting the winner just before half-time.
In the crowd sat then-UEFA president Michel Platini alongside then-FAI president Paddy McCaul, with then-FAI CEO John Delaney and current FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was UEFA general secretary at the time.
Over two years before the decider, UEFA selected the Aviva Stadium to host the game, which was still under construction at the time and opened in May 2010 after a complete redevelopment.
The FAI’s bid also had competition from the Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal. But as London’s Wembley Stadium was chosen to host the Champions League final that same year, UEFA rules state that their top two finals cannot be played in the same country in the same season. On January 29, 2009, Lansdowne Road was confirmed to host the game, making it the first European club final to ever be held in Ireland.
With UEFA sponsorship rules forbidding the advertising of brands and companies outside of their organisation during games, the Aviva Stadium was referred to as the ‘Dublin Arena’ for the fixture.
In the lead-up to the decider, former Ireland and Liverpool midfielder Ronnie Whelan was appointed as the ambassador for the final and attended the group-stage draw in Monaco the previous August. In the weeks leading up to May 18, the Europa League trophy went on public display in spots around the city such as the GPO, City Hall and Dublin Airport.
“This is something that will mean so much to the young kids who are starting to play football now. When I was growing up here in Dublin in the 1960s, you would never have dreamed about something like a European final coming to the city. Now we have that opportunity,” said Whelan, as the trophy was handed over by Platini at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.
After topping their group with ease with five wins and a draw, Porto beat Sevilla, CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow before a 7-4 aggregate semi-final triumph over Villarreal to book their place in the final.
Braga, meanwhile, qualified directly for the knockout stages after finishing third in their Champions League group behind Shakhtar Donetsk and Arsenal. A round-of-32 win over Lech Poznan followed before they upset the odds to dump Liverpool out in the last 16. Dynamo Kyiv were then taken care of before Domingos Paciencia’s side overcame Portuguese rivals Benfica to make their first European final.
Legend
It was Porto’s first European decider since lifting the Champions League under Jose Mourinho seven years previously. In Andre Villas-Boas’ first season in charge of the club, his side including names like future World Cup winner (with Argentina) Nicolas Otamendi, Brazilian forward Hulk, Portugal legend Joao Moutinho and former Monaco and Manchester United striker Falcao, who picked up man-of-the-match award after finishing the campaign well clear at the top of the goal-scoring charts with 17.
However, the decider proved to be a scrappy affair. Braga’s Custodio should have done better when he shot wide in the early stages. His side, tagged as underdogs in the build-up, sat back and stayed compact for the most part, but one minute before the break, Falcao opened the scoring with a fine header into the top corner from a Fredy Guarin cross.
Braga midfielder Mossoro almost levelled the tie just seconds after he was introduced as a second-half substitute, but his effort was well saved by Porto skipper and former Brazil ’keeper Helton.
Hulk then went close to doubling Porto’s advantage, but his side saw the decider out comfortably, with the eight yellow cards handed out by the Spanish referee reflective of the scrappy nature of the game.
Porto saw out the victory to secure their second Europa League/UEFA Cup, as Villas-Boas became the youngest man to win a UEFA club competition at just 33 years old. Two years ago, he reflected on that night in Dublin 4.
“Winning the Europa League in 2011 was one of the most thrilling experiences of my career as a manager. To win a major European trophy is a huge honour and that night in Dublin will always have a special place in my heart,” he said.
A month after the victory, he resigned as Porto boss to take the Chelsea job, where he was sacked eight months into his three-year deal.
Helton walked up the steps of the west stand to collect the trophy after Porto’s victory. Having won their 25th league title that season at a canter (also their first unbeaten league campaign), four days later, Porto went on to win the Portuguese Cup final as they secured a stunning treble.
For the thousands of Porto supporters who made the trip to Lansdowne Road in 2011, Dublin will always hold a special place in their hearts. For the Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta faithful, they’ll be hoping to say the same tomorrow.