The 2006 UEFA Cup final was the concluding match of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup, the 35th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The final was contested by English club Middlesbrough and Spanish club Sevilla on 10 May 2006 at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
Match details
- Date: 10 May 2006
- Venue: Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Attendance: 32,100 (official figure)
- Referee: Stefano Braschi (Italy)
Teams
- Middlesbrough (England) – qualified for the competition by winning the 2003–04 Football League Cup and entered the UEFA Cup at the first round.
- Sevilla (Spain) – entered the competition after finishing fifth in the 2004–05 La Liga season and progressed through the group stage and knockout rounds.
Result
Sevilla defeated Middlesbrough 4–0. The goals were scored by:
- Luís Fabiano (8th minute)
- Enzo Maresca (30th minute)
- Frédéric Kanouté (45+3rd minute)
- Antonio Puerta (90+3rd minute)
Significance
- The victory marked Sevilla's first major European trophy.
- It was the first UEFA Cup final to be decided by a margin of four goals.
- The win contributed to Sevilla's emergence as a prominent force in European competitions during the late 2000s, preceding subsequent UEFA Cup/Europa League titles in 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2020.
Route to the final
- Sevilla progressed from Group H (finishing second) and defeated Lokomotiv Moscow, Schalke 04, and Schalke 04 again (in the quarter‑finals and semi‑finals respectively) to reach the final.
- Middlesbrough advanced from Group A (finishing second) and eliminated FC Basel, Steaua București, and Steaua București again (in the quarter‑finals and semi‑finals respectively) to secure their place in the final.
The match was televised internationally and is recorded as a notable event in the history of both clubs, particularly for Sevilla's subsequent dominance in European tournaments.
