Atletico Madrid - UEFA Europa League winnners 17/18

A stellar performance from a motivated Atletico side helped them to a 3rd Europa League title

The Europa League 17/18 Final was played yesterday between La Liga giants Atletico Madrid and Ligue 1 Champions League hopefuls Olympique Marseille. The venue was the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, in the French city of Lyon. Atletico were the favorites in this one, but an equally strong performance was expected from Marseille, who had given impressive performances throughout the competition.

The journey towards the Finals

Both sides went to the semifinals without much hindrances. However, both had interesting semifinals. Atletico were paired against Premier League side Arsenal and Marseille were up against the Austrian Bundesliga side RB Salzburg.

Arsenal were dominant during the first leg at the Emirates Stadium. Alexandre Lacazette put the Gunners ahead with a stunning header. Antoine Griezmann's last minute equaliser rose Atletico's hopes of going to the Finals. During the reverse fixture at the Metropolitana, Diego Costa struck once again for Atletico, ensuring their place in the Finals.

Marseille completely dominated Salzburg in the first leg. Florian Thauvin and substitute Clinton Njie gave Marseille a strong lead. Salzburg almost made a stunning comeback in the second leg at the Red Bull Arena, with strikes from Amadou Haidara and an own goal from Sarr. Towards the end though, things turned sour as Haidara was sent off with a red card, and with Rolando's header unexpectedly finding the bottom corner at the last minute, Salzburg's hopes of a Europa League final were brutally crushed.

The Final

The Final was expected to be a tough game between 2 equally good sides. Marseille had an early chance with a stunning pass from Dimitri Payet, but Valere Germain failed to utilize it. Soon after, a ridiculously poor touch from Andre Zambo found the legs of Griezmann, who burst into the penalty box and coolly slid the ball past Mandanda, giving Atletico the lead. Marseille's bad luck worsened, as their star man Dimitri Payet was forced to leave early supposedly due to a hamstring injury. Marseille fans applauded as Payet left the pitch in tears. Griezmann soon grabbed a second goal and Gabi scored a third at the end of regular time. It was an emphatic victory for Atletico, one they truly deserved.

Congratulations to Atletico for winning their 3rd Europa League title! Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comments below and please subscribe!