For the first time in six years, the UEFA Europa League final will be contested between two clubs from the same country, with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur set to contest an all-English clash at the San Mamés stadium in Bilbao on May 21.
Of course, while not strictly a “derby” in the purest sense (i.e. a match between two local rival clubs), finals between two clubs from the same country are still relatively rare in continental competition.
Man United vs. Spurs will be only the 10th example of a “country derby” final in the history of the Europa League, which was originally launched in 1971-72 as the UEFA Cup — coincidentally, that season produced the first, as Spurs beat Wolverhampton Wanderers over two legs (a format that was not changed until 1998). This season will also mark the first Europa League final between compatriot clubs since 2018-19, when Chelsea thrashed Arsenal 4-1 in Baku.
If you combine both Europa League and UEFA Champions League, there have been only 18 “country derby” finals in UEFA competition, with the latter having staged eight instances since being introduced as the European Cup back in 1955-56. Indeed, the most recent example in the Champions League was also an intra-Anglo affair, with Chelsea beating Manchester City in Porto in 2021.
Here is a look back at all 18 “country derby” finals to have graced UEFA club competition history since the 1950s, ranking them all in order of their sporting excellence, enduring impact and entertainment value.
18. AC Milan 0-0 Juventus (3-2 pens), 2002-03 Champions League final
Remembered as one of the least entertaining Champions League finals on record, the 2002-03 final at Old Trafford saw two Italian giants produce a dour, standoffish display like two heavyweight boxers reluctant to engage with each other. After 120 minutes of gritty attrition, AC Milan finally managed to squeeze past their old rivals on penalties, with Andriy Shevchenko slotting home the decisive effort to bring things to a merciful conclusion. However, both goalkeepers — Dida for Milan; Gianluigi Buffon for Juventus — were criticized in the aftermath for routinely failing to stay on their lines during the shootout.
17. Porto 1-0 Braga, 2010-11 Europa League final
The first-ever final in any UEFA competition contested between two Portuguese clubs, the 2010-11 event in Dublin was decided by a lone goal from FC Porto‘s Radamel Falcao. The Colombia striker broke through Braga‘s uber-defensive blockade to score just seconds before half-time with what proved to be the only shot on target from Andre Villas-Boas’ side in the entire night. Drab stuff.
16. Inter Milan 2-1 Roma (agg.), 1990-91 UEFA Cup final
Contested by a pair of Italian clubs for the second year running, the 1990-91 UEFA Cup final was won by Inter Milan, who lifted the trophy despite losing in their final game of the competition. Under the two-leg format, Inter secured a 2-0 victory at San Siro before losing by a single goal at Roma‘s Stadio Olimpico in the second leg, which arguably took a little of the shine off the Nerazzurri‘s big moment.
15. Juventus 3-1 Fiorentina (agg.), 1989-90 UEFA Cup final
The third UEFA Cup final to take place between opposition from the same country marked the first instance of two Italian clubs coming faccia a faccia [face to face] in the competition’s history. The first of two consecutive all-Italian UEFA Cup finals produced a rather one-sided affair that saw the Bianconeri take charge in the first leg to win 3-1 before grinding out a 0-0 draw at Fiorentina in the second leg to claim the prize. Just a couple of months later, five players from this game would help host-nation Italy reach the 1990 World Cup semifinals, including breakout star Salvatore Schillaci and future Ballon d’Or winner Roberto Baggio.
14. Parma 2-1 Juventus (agg.), 1994-95 UEFA Cup final
Parma were pitted against three-time UEFA Cup winners Juventus, only for the underdogs to seal a slim aggregate victory. Parma first nudged ahead with a 1-0 victory at the Stadio Ennio Tardini before wrapping things up with a 1-1 draw at San Siro two weeks later. Despite fielding a sprightly front two of Gianfranco Zola and Faustino Asprilla, it was two goals from midfielder Dino Baggio that ultimately saw the Gialloblu lift the UEFA Cup for the first time — a feat they then repeated four years later when their star-studded side of 1998-99 vanquished Marseille at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
13. Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur, 2018-19 Champions League final
With Spurs appearing in their first European Cup/Champions League final and Liverpool in their ninth, the 2018-19 climax in Madrid was the fourth final of the decade to feature two clubs from the same country. Perhaps exhausted by their pulsating semifinal comeback against Ajax, Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side failed to ignite as Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool completed what proved to be a straightforward victory. The two decisive goals came at each end of regulation time, with Mohamed Salah nudging the Reds ahead from the penalty spot with roughly 100 seconds on the clock, before Divock Origi sealed the deal in the 87th minute. In between, Spurs gave a better account of themselves than many remember, with Alisson making eight saves and being named Man of the Match, but the Reds were rightful winners.
12. Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City, 2020-21 Champions League final
Having fallen short of the final for several seasons, Manchester City were desperate to win the Champions League in order to fulfil their manifest destiny. They saw a one-off game against familiar foes Chelsea as a golden opportunity to get their hands on the cup, but things didn’t go to script as the Blues circumvented Pep Guardiola’s overwrought gameplan to emerge victorious in Porto. Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel, who had only arrived in January to replace Frank Lampard, lifted the trophy on the second attempt — having been on the losing side with Paris Saint-Germain the previous season. In the end, the encounter was settled by a solitary goal from Kai Havertz, which was prodded home past the onrushing goalkeeper Ederson just a few minutes before half-time. Hardly a stinker, but hardly a classic either.
11. Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers (agg.), 1971-72 UEFA Cup final
Introduced as a replacement for the old Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the inaugural season of the new UEFA Cup format saw two clubs from the English First Division reach the two-legged final staged at Molineux and White Hart Lane respectively. Tottenham won the first leg 2-1 thanks to a stunning 25-yard goal scored by England international Martin Chivers in the 87th minute. They then held Wolves to a 1-1 draw to claim their second-ever piece of European silverware, having lifted the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1962-63.
10. Inter Milan 3-0 Lazio, 1997-98 UEFA Cup final
The 1997-98 UEFA Cup saw the decision made to scrap two-legged finals in favor of a single, winner-takes-all conclusion to the competition that was hoped would enhance the luster of the grand climax, rather than having it played out over two comparatively disparate fixtures a fortnight apart. We’re not saying that the inaugural single-leg final was a formality, but Inter were one of the most decorated Italian clubs in Europe, and Lazio had never reached a European final, with a run to the quarterfinals in 1994-95 their best attempt. Goals from Iván Zamorano, Javier Zanetti and Ronaldo Nazário settled the tie for the Nerazzurri at the Parc des Princes, with the young Brazil striker living to his “O Fenômeno” nickname by being named Man of the Match.
9. Real Madrid 1-1 Atlético Madrid (5-3 pens), 2015-16 Champions League final
Expertly marshalled by Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid held their nerve to be crowned champions of Europe for an 11th time by neutralizing cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid for 120 minutes before eliminating them in a penalty shootout. Ramos tapped in from close range to put Los Blancos ahead early on, but Diego Simeone’s side mounted a characteristic fightback, with Antoine Griezmann thumping a penalty off the crossbar before Yannick Carrasco equalized late to send the tie to extra time. In the shootout, the two sides exchanged blows to reach 3-3 with Ramos then slamming home to make it 4-3, at which point Juanfran hit the post. Up stepped Cristiano Ronaldo under San Siro’s floodlights and, true to form, the Champions League’s all-time top scorer delivered the winning strike and immediately whipped off his shirt in celebration.
8. Eintracht Frankfurt 3-3 Borussia Mönchengladbach (agg.), 1979-80 UEFA Cup final
With Borussia Mönchengladbach reaching the final as defending champions, few expected the cup to be changing hands since Eintracht Frankfurt finished the season smack bang in the middle of the Bundesliga. Sure enough, Frankfurt lost 3-2 at Gladbach in the first leg and looked to be down and out. However, the whole tie was then turned on its head in the 81st minute of the second leg when Fred Schaub notched a pivotal away goal to dramatically tip the balance in their favor on away goals — much to the surprise and delight of the majority of the 59,000 fans in attendance at the Waldstadion.
7. Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Dortmund, 2012-13 Champions League final
The first-ever all-German Champions League final saw Bayern Munich stampede to victory at Wembley in a season in which they claimed a league, cup and European treble under popular coach Jupp Heynckes. Bayern finished 25 points ahead of second-place Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and once again were able to swat their visibly tiring rivals aside. Goals from Mario Mandzukic and the irrepressible Arjen Robben saw the Bavarians finally shake off their lingering Champions League bad luck, having finished as runners-up in two of the previous three seasons.
6. Real Madrid 3-0 Valencia, 1999-00 Champions League final
With two of LaLiga’s biggest hitters meeting in Paris, the 1999-00 Champions League final represented a fairly significant watershed moment in the competition’s 45-year history as it was the first time both finalists hailed from the same country. In reality, there was little compatriotic spirit on show from Real Madrid, who drubbed Valencia with unanswered goals from Fernando Morientes, Steve McManaman and Raúl to earn Vincente del Bosque’s first major honor as a coach. McManaman’s extraordinary scissor-kick volley is regularly cited as one of the best goals scored in a European Cup final, and was representative of the insurmountable quality that Hector Cuper’s gung-ho Valencia side found themselves up against at the Stade de France.
5. Atlético Madrid 3-0 Athletic Club, 2011-12 Europa League final
This energetic final in Bucharest was won almost single-handedly by a virtuosic display from Atlético striker Radamel Falcao, who once again came to the fore on the big stage having also scored the winner for Porto in the previous season’s final. The Colombia international got things rolling after just seven minutes with a sensational left-footed curler from the corner of the penalty area. Athletic Club were subsequently limited to intermittent pot-shots until Falcao struck again before half-time, following a clever Cruyff turn in front of goal to effectively shut the game down. A third goal from Diego late on wrapped up a commanding victory for the Rojiblancos, who hoisted the Europa League trophy aloft for the second time in three seasons.
4. Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (6-5 pens), 2007-08 Champions League final
On a rain-lashed evening in Moscow, Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea embarked on a tempestuous slugfest over 120 minutes. Both goals came in the first half of regulation time, with Cristiano Ronaldo heading United in front before Frank Lampard popped up to haul the Blues level just before the break. Chelsea then peppered United’s woodwork and had a man sent off in extra time when Didier Drogba slapped Nemanja Vidic in the face during a late skirmish — the culmination of a personal quarrel between the two players that had been simmering since before kickoff. However, it was the ensuing penalty shootout that produced the evening’s enduring image. After Ronaldo’s effort was saved, Blues captain John Terry slipped on the sodden turf to miss what would have been the winning kick. Terry then watched on in floods of tears as United came back to win when Edwin van der Sar repelled Nicolas Anelka’s tame effort.
3. Sevilla 2-2 Espanyol (3-1 pens), 2006-07 Europa League final
No club has won the UEFA Cup/Europa League more times than Sevilla (7), and sure enough the Spanish side were defending champions when they were pitted against LaLiga rivals Espanyol in the 2006-07 final. Indeed, Sevilla were riding high in the league and into the final of the Copa del Rey and as such were fostering dreams of a treble when they pitched up at Hampden Park in Glasgow. They raced ahead twice but found themselves swiftly pegged back on each occasion as Espanyol dug in through extra time and forced the game to penalties. However, the real hero of the hour was Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop, who successfully thwarted meek efforts from Luis García, Jônatas and Marc Torrejón in the shootout to effectively retain the trophy for the Rojiblancos.
2. Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal, 2018-19 Europa League final
The 10th Europa League final to feature two clubs from the same country, the second all-English final and the first to be played by two teams from the same city, the 2018-19 final was essentially a Premier League bout between Chelsea and Arsenal which played out in a weird, half-empty vacuum of the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan — over 2,000 miles from home.
Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for Chelsea against his former side, who had ex-Blues legend Petr Cech in goal for what proved to be the last game of the 37-year-old’s stellar career. With a summer transfer to Real Madrid pending, Eden Hazard was also signing off for Chelsea and did so with a mesmeric individual display that saw the Belgian forward score twice and lay on an assist for Pedro in a full-blooded and dominant victory for Maurizio Sarri’s outfit.
The Blues thus became the first team to lift a major European title without losing a single game en route; Arsenal, in their first season of the post-Arsene Wenger era, were to end the campaign empty-handed in what was Unai Emery’s sole full season in charge of the club. As the winning players partied on the Chelsea bus after the game, Giroud gave a mocking “thank you, Arsenal” to his former club while brandishing the trophy.
1. Real Madrid 4-1 Atlético Madrid (aet), 2013-14 Champions League final
In addition to being contested by two clubs from the same country, the 2013-14 Champions League final was the first time that two clubs from the same city had met in the final as Real and Atlético faced off in Lisbon at the end of an arduous campaign.
Atleti, recently crowned champions of LaLiga, went ahead after 36 minutes through Diego Godín and were then forced to defend like their lives depended on it for the remainder of regulation time as Real — spurred by the innate necessity to accomplish “La Décima” by winning their 10th European Cup title — tried everything to heave themselves back from the brink. Despite facing onslaught after onslaught, the Rojiblancos‘ human barricade looked to have held, and Diego Simeone’s dogged side had one hand on the trophy as the final whistle loomed. However, that incredible resolve was cruelly undermined in the dying moments of injury time when a soaring header from Sergio Ramos sent the final into extra time.
Visibly deflating, Atleti ultimately succumbed in extra time as three further goals from Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo saw Los Blancos gallop to the cruelest of 4-1 victories and therefore end their 12-year wait to get their hands on a 10th European Cup title.
