2019 UEFA Europa League final
Event | 2018–19 UEFA Europa League | ||||||
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Date | 29 May 2019 | ||||||
Venue | Olympic Stadium, Baku | ||||||
Man of the Match | Eden Hazard (Chelsea)[1] | ||||||
Referee | Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)[2] | ||||||
Attendance | 51,370[3] | ||||||
Weather | Clear night 21 °C (70 °F) 74% humidity[4] | ||||||
The 2019 UEFA Europa League final was the final match of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, the 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. It was played at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 29 May 2019.[5] The match was contested between English sides Chelsea and Arsenal, who had beaten Eintracht Frankfurt and Valencia, respectively, in the semi-finals to set up a London derby in the final. It was the tenth tournament final to feature two teams from the same association, the second all-English final, and the first between teams from the same city.
Chelsea won the final 4–1 for their second UEFA Europa League title. As winners, they earned the right to play against Liverpool, the winners of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. As Chelsea had already qualified for the Champions League group stage through their league performance, the group stage berth reserved for the Europa League winners was given to the third-placed team of the 2018–19 Ligue 1, Lyon, as the French Football Federation, which oversees Ligue 1, was the 5th-ranked association according to next season's access list.[6][7]
Starting from this season, the Europa League final was played in the same week as the Champions League final.
Teams
In the following table, finals until 2009 were in the UEFA Cup era, since 2010 were in the UEFA Europa League era.
Team | Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners) |
---|---|
Chelsea | 1 ( 2013 )
|
Arsenal | 1 ( 2000 )
|
Venue
This was the first European club competition final to be held in Azerbaijan. Later, the stadium was also chosen as one of the host venues of UEFA Euro 2020.[11]
Host selection
For the first time ever, an open bidding process was launched on 9 December 2016 by UEFA to select the venues of the club competition finals (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Women's Champions League and UEFA Super Cup).[12][13] Associations had until 27 January 2017 to express interest, and bid dossiers must be submitted by 6 June 2017.
UEFA announced on 3 February 2017 that six associations expressed interest in hosting,[14] and confirmed on 7 June 2017 that three associations submitted bids for the 2019 UEFA Europa League Final:[15]
Country | Stadium | City | Capacity | Notes |
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Azerbaijan | Baku Olympic Stadium | Baku | 69,870 | Also bid for 2019 UEFA Champions League Final
|
Spain | Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán | Seville | 42,500 | |
Turkey | Vodafone Park |
Istanbul | 41,903 | Also bid for 2019 UEFA Super Cup |
The following associations expressed interest in hosting but eventually did not submit bids:
- Georgia: Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi
- Germany: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart (preferred over Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt)[16]
- Scotland: Hampden Park, Glasgow
The bid evaluation report was published by UEFA on 14 September 2017.[17] The Baku Olympic Stadium was selected as the venue by the UEFA Executive Committee on 20 September 2017, while the Vodafone Park was successful in its bid to host the 2019 UEFA Super Cup.[18][5]
Background
It was also
The final was the 198th competitive meeting between
The match was the second all-English UEFA Cup/Europa League final, after the
Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
Chelsea | Round | Arsenal | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | ||||
PAOK | 1–0 (A) | Matchday 1 | Vorskla Poltava | 4–2 (H) | ||||
MOL Vidi | 1–0 (H) | Matchday 2 | Qarabağ | 3–0 (A) | ||||
BATE Borisov | 3–1 (H) | Matchday 3 | Sporting CP | 1–0 (A) | ||||
BATE Borisov | 1–0 (A) | Matchday 4 | Sporting CP | 0–0 (H) | ||||
PAOK | 4–0 (H) | Matchday 5 | Vorskla Poltava | 3–0 (A) | ||||
MOL Vidi | 2–2 (A) | Matchday 6 | Qarabağ | 1–0 (H) | ||||
Group L winners | Final standings | Group E winners | ||||||
Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout phase | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
Malmö FF | 5–1 | 2–1 (A) | 3–0 (H) | Round of 32 | BATE Borisov | 3–1 | 0–1 (A) | 3–0 (H) |
Dynamo Kyiv | 8–0 | 3–0 (H) | 5–0 (A) | Round of 16 | Rennes | 4–3 | 1–3 (A) | 3–0 (H) |
Slavia Prague | 5–3 | 1–0 (A) | 4–3 (H) | Quarter-finals | Napoli
|
3–0 | 2–0 (H) | 1–0 (A) |
Eintracht Frankfurt | 2–2 (4–3 p) | 1–1 (A) | a.e.t. ) (H)
|
Semi-finals | Valencia | 7–3 | 3–1 (H) | 4–2 (A) |
Pre-match
Final identity
The brand identity for the final was unveiled at the group stage draw on 31 August 2018, taking inspiration from several prominent buildings in Baku. The logo also incorporates Azerbaijan's nickname, the "Land of Fire", by adding a flame to the letter "A", and a common design in Azerbaijani rugs.[35]
Ambassador
The ambassador for the final is former Netherlands international
Ticketing and travel
With a stadium capacity of 64,000 for the final, a total amount of 37,500 tickets are available to fans and the general public, with the two finalist teams receiving 6,000 tickets each,[40] and with the other tickets being available for sale to fans worldwide via UEFA.com from 7 to 21 March 2019 in four price categories: €140, €90, €50, and €30. The remaining tickets are allocated to the local organising committee, national associations, commercial partners, and broadcasters, and to serve the corporate hospitality programme.[41]
The match had an official attendance of 51,370, making it the third-largest crowd for a Europa League final, but the stadium had large sections of empty seats.[42] Football commentators also decried the lack of atmosphere due to the empty seats and lack of interest from local residents.[43][44] A report in The Times claimed that local authorities had opened the turnstiles for ticketless fans during the first half to increase attendance and avoid embarrassment, without the authorisation of UEFA.[45]
Controversy
The handling of ticket pricing and travel logistics for English fans, including limited flights and visa requirements to enter Azerbaijan, was criticised by supporters groups representing fans of the two clubs.[46][47] Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the main airport serving Baku, was described as "too small" to accommodate the expected demand of the Europa League final, and was cited as a reason for the small ticket allocation for travelling fans.[48] Arsenal and Chelsea had failed to sell out their individual allocations by the deadline in late May and planned to return 6,000 unsold tickets to UEFA;[49] several sponsors with their own allocations also followed suit, citing disinterest from their clients.[50] In an official statement, Arsenal described UEFA's decision to host the match in Baku as "unacceptable and cannot be repeated".[51][52]
UEFA was also criticised for accepting Azerbaijan as the host of the Europa League final, due to its
Trophy tour
The first UEFA Europa League Trophy Tour visited eight European cities, beginning on 5 March 2019 at the
Officials
On 13 May 2019, UEFA named Italian
Opening ceremony
English artist Jonas Blue performed at the opening ceremony preceding the final, and was supported by 150 local dancers.[60]
Match
Team selection
Chelsea's options in midfield were limited for the match; with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi both out and N'Golo Kanté facing a late fitness test after suffering a knee injury in training four days before the game, there was the possibility that Jorginho, Mateo Kovačić and Ross Barkley would be the three to take the midfield positions in their usual 4–3–3 formation. Defender Antonio Rüdiger was also a long-term absentee with damage to the meniscus in his left knee.[61] Despite Kanté missing training the Sunday before the game,[62] he returned to the starting line-up alongside Jorginho and Kovačić after being rested for Chelsea's final league game of the season against Leicester City 17 days earlier. As well as Kanté and Kovačić in midfield, also restored to the team were goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, defenders Emerson Palmieri and Andreas Christensen, and forwards Eden Hazard and Olivier Giroud. Hazard was potentially playing in his final game for Chelsea, having attracted the interest of Real Madrid over a possible transfer, while Giroud was a former Arsenal player, having signed for Chelsea for £18 million in January 2018.
For Arsenal, midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan ruled himself out of selection for the match; the Armenian reportedly feared for his safety due to political tensions between his country and the host nation for the final, Azerbaijan.
Summary
In a scoreless first half, Granit Xhaka had a shot for Arsenal that clipped the top of the bar, while Chelsea's Olivier Giroud forced Petr Čech into a save low to his left. Giroud opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 49th minute with a low header to the left corner from 12 yards out after a cross from Emerson Palmieri on the left. Pedro made it 2–0 in the 60th minute when he steered a low shot into the right corner from 12 yards out after a low pass from Hazard on the left.[66] Five minutes later, Chelsea were awarded a penalty after a foul on Giroud by Ainsley Maitland-Niles, which Hazard rolled into the left corner, sending Čech the wrong way. Arsenal pulled a goal back in the 69th minute with a powerful right-footed shot from substitute Alex Iwobi from outside the penalty area, but Chelsea made it 4–1 three minutes later with another goal from Hazard, a side-footed shot into the right corner from eight yards out after a pass from Giroud.[67]
Details
The "home" team (for administrative purposes) was determined by an additional draw held after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, which was held on 15 March 2019 at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[68][69]
Chelsea[4]
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Arsenal[4]
|
Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[2]
|
Match rules[70]
|
Statistics
|
|
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See also
- 2019 UEFA Champions League Final
- 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final
- 2019 UEFA Super Cup
- Arsenal F.C.–Chelsea F.C. rivalry
- Arsenal F.C. in European football
- Chelsea F.C. in international football competitions
- English football clubs in international competitions
- List of football matches between British clubs in UEFA competitions
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External links
- Official website
- 2019 final: Baku, UEFA.com