History
The Early Years (1905-1948)
On October 15, 1905, the Civil Governor of Seville officially announced the creation of Sevilla F.C. The first president of the club was D. José Luis Gallegos. In 1908, the team played its first official game, against Recreativo Huelva. In 1914, the team won its first Copa de Sevilla (Seville Cup). In 1935, Seville won the first of its Copa del Rey trophies, beating CE Sabadell 3-0. After the Spanish Civil War, Sevilla won the first Copa del Generalísimo (the second Spanish Cup win of the club), beating Racing de Ferrol by a score of 6-2.
The 1939-40 season also brought Sevilla very close to its first La Liga championship. The league had just returned to action after the Spanish Civil War, and Sevilla had some astounding games, beating FC Barcelona 11-1, Valencia CF 10-3 and Hércules CF 8-3. However, in the last game of the season, Sevilla could only manage to tie Hércules 3-3, thus giving the title to Atlético Aviación. In 1942-1943, Sevilla took second place in the league again but fell to third the next year. After a transitional year, in 1945-1946, Sevilla won its first and only La Liga title, due mainly to the mercurial and talented striker Oli Ward, who managed to notch up an impressive 29 goal tally. In 1948, Sevilla captured its last Copa del Rey for the next 59 years, defeating Celta Vigo 4-1 at Chamartin Stadium.
The Second Half of the 20th Century
Sevilla opened up its new Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in 1958 with a loss to its eternal rival (Real Betis, see below). In the sixties, Sevilla started a decline to mid-table and after the 1967/68 season, Sevilla was sent down to the Spanish second division but returned to the top flight a year later. After another a brief drop and return in the early seventies, Sevilla remained firmly in the middle of the table until the 1997/98, when the club was sent down again. Another return to La Liga was followed immediately by a last place finish in 1999/2000, in which Sevilla managed to scrape together only 28 points on the season.
A New Resurgence (2000-present)
Under new coach Joaquín Caparrós, Sevilla won the second division title in 2000/01. New team president José María del Nido brought fiscal order to Seville, selling its homegrown superstar José Antonio Reyes to Arsenal FC in January 2004 for a £10.5m fee. In that season (03/04), not only did Sevilla reach the semifinals of the Copa del Rey after more than 20 years (where it fell 2-1 to Real Madrid), but the team managed to qualify for Europe by placing sixth in the league and earning a ticket for the 2004/2005 UEFA Cup.
The 2005-2006 UEFA Cup
Having finished 6th in the 2004-2005 season, Sevilla secured a place in the first round of the 2005-2006 UEFA Cup. After advancing through the first round and the group stage of competition, Seville beat Russian side FC Lokomotiv Moscow to advance to the round of 16. On March 9, Sevilla FC lost 1-0 to French club Lille OSC in the first leg of their home-and-away match, [10] but on March 15, at home in Seville's 50th game in European competition, Sevilla won 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. In these matches, which took place against FC Zenit on March 30, 2006 and April 6, 2006, Sevilla beat Zenit 5-2 on aggregate and advanced to the semifinals. In the semis, Seville knocked out the strong German side Schalke 04 after 180 goalless minutes, with Antonio Puerta scoring the decisive goal in the extra time of the return leg.
On May 10, 2006, in the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, Sevilla FC broke a 58 year drought on trophies and became the first Andalusian team to win a European final. Sevilla defeated Middlesbrough F.C. 4-0 in Eindhoven to win the their first UEFA Cup, in the largest UEFA cup victory in history. One goal came from Luis Fabiano, two from Enzo Maresca, and one by Frédéric Kanouté At that time, Sevilla was the only European team which had played in the three major competitions (the European Cup, Cup Winner's Cup and UEFA Cup) and had never lost any game (out of 27) when playing on their home stadium.
2006 UEFA Super Cup
Having convincingly won the 2005-2006 UEFA Cup, Sevilla booked a place in 2006 UEFA Super Cup, a one-off game which pits the UEFA Cup winners and the Champions League winners of the previous year against one another. At the Stade Louis II in Monaco on August 25, 2006, Sevilla beat the defending Champions League title-holders FC Barcelona 3-0 -- thanks an early goal by the Brazilian Renato, a goal just before the half by Kanouté, and a penalty converted by Maresca in the second half stoppage time -- to pick up its second European trophy (their second in three months).
The 2006-2007 UEFA Cup
Sevilla FC finished 5th in La Liga in the 2005-2006 season, and by virtue of this (and also by having won the competition the previous year), Sevilla qualified for the first round of the 2006-2007 UEFA Cup. Seville won that matchup against the Greek side Atromitos and proceeded into the group stage of the competition, where the Andalusian side finished second in the group of five. In the knockout stage that followed this, Sevilla emerged victorious against Steaua Bucharest, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham Hotspur, and Osasuna to qualify for its second consecutive UEFA Cup Final. Sevilla almost didn't survive the last 16 clash with Shaktar Donetsk, in which Sevilla's keeper Andrés Palop scored off a header in injury time to force extra-time against the Ukrainian side. Sevilla ended up winning the game, beating Shaktar 5-4 on aggregate.
On May 16, 2007, in the 2007 UEFA Cup Final held in Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla FC defeated fellow Spanish side RCD Espanyol on penalties for its second consecutive UEFA Cup title. Sevilla became only the second team to defend the UEFA Cup title, following Real Madrid, who achieved this feat in 1985 and 1986.
The 2006-2007 Copa Del Rey & 2007 Supercopa de España
After almost sixty years without having raised a Spanish trophy, Sevilla won the 2006-2007 Copa Del Rey, beating Getafe 1-0 in the final. A goal by Frederic Kanoute in the 12th minute was enough to end Getafe's surprising run in the Copa del Rey.
Victory in the Copa del Rey qualified Sevilla for the 2007 Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup), a two-legged (home and away) final in which the winners of La Liga play the winners of the Copa del Rey. In August 2007, Sevilla played La Liga champions Real Madrid. Sevilla took a 1-0 lead from the home leg, played on August 12, 2007, and the teams played the return leg in Madrid the next week. Seville won this match 5-3, giving them a 6-3 aggregate victory over Real Madrid, and the Supercopa de España-- the team's fifth trophy in 15 months
Antonio PuertaOn the first day of the Spanish League 2007/2008 season, Sevilla were playing Getafe CF when Antonio Puerta began walking towards his goal area, fell to the ground, placed his hands on his knees,and collapsed onto his back. His teammates and Sevilla medical staff came to aid him to make sure of him not swallowing his tongue. He was revived and substituted. In the dressing room afterwards, he collapsed again. He was hospitalized and after 3 days in hospital (in which he was in a 'critical condition' and his health was 'unfavourable') reports came from the Spanish media that Puerta had died. These reports were later confirmed. As a mark of respect for his passing, players from Seville and AC Milan printed "Puerta" on their shirts during the European Super Cup match
The Early Years (1905-1948)
On October 15, 1905, the Civil Governor of Seville officially announced the creation of Sevilla F.C. The first president of the club was D. José Luis Gallegos. In 1908, the team played its first official game, against Recreativo Huelva. In 1914, the team won its first Copa de Sevilla (Seville Cup). In 1935, Seville won the first of its Copa del Rey trophies, beating CE Sabadell 3-0. After the Spanish Civil War, Sevilla won the first Copa del Generalísimo (the second Spanish Cup win of the club), beating Racing de Ferrol by a score of 6-2.
The 1939-40 season also brought Sevilla very close to its first La Liga championship. The league had just returned to action after the Spanish Civil War, and Sevilla had some astounding games, beating FC Barcelona 11-1, Valencia CF 10-3 and Hércules CF 8-3. However, in the last game of the season, Sevilla could only manage to tie Hércules 3-3, thus giving the title to Atlético Aviación. In 1942-1943, Sevilla took second place in the league again but fell to third the next year. After a transitional year, in 1945-1946, Sevilla won its first and only La Liga title, due mainly to the mercurial and talented striker Oli Ward, who managed to notch up an impressive 29 goal tally. In 1948, Sevilla captured its last Copa del Rey for the next 59 years, defeating Celta Vigo 4-1 at Chamartin Stadium.
The Second Half of the 20th Century
Sevilla opened up its new Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in 1958 with a loss to its eternal rival (Real Betis, see below). In the sixties, Sevilla started a decline to mid-table and after the 1967/68 season, Sevilla was sent down to the Spanish second division but returned to the top flight a year later. After another a brief drop and return in the early seventies, Sevilla remained firmly in the middle of the table until the 1997/98, when the club was sent down again. Another return to La Liga was followed immediately by a last place finish in 1999/2000, in which Sevilla managed to scrape together only 28 points on the season.
A New Resurgence (2000-present)
Under new coach Joaquín Caparrós, Sevilla won the second division title in 2000/01. New team president José María del Nido brought fiscal order to Seville, selling its homegrown superstar José Antonio Reyes to Arsenal FC in January 2004 for a £10.5m fee. In that season (03/04), not only did Sevilla reach the semifinals of the Copa del Rey after more than 20 years (where it fell 2-1 to Real Madrid), but the team managed to qualify for Europe by placing sixth in the league and earning a ticket for the 2004/2005 UEFA Cup.
The 2005-2006 UEFA Cup
Having finished 6th in the 2004-2005 season, Sevilla secured a place in the first round of the 2005-2006 UEFA Cup. After advancing through the first round and the group stage of competition, Seville beat Russian side FC Lokomotiv Moscow to advance to the round of 16. On March 9, Sevilla FC lost 1-0 to French club Lille OSC in the first leg of their home-and-away match, [10] but on March 15, at home in Seville's 50th game in European competition, Sevilla won 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. In these matches, which took place against FC Zenit on March 30, 2006 and April 6, 2006, Sevilla beat Zenit 5-2 on aggregate and advanced to the semifinals. In the semis, Seville knocked out the strong German side Schalke 04 after 180 goalless minutes, with Antonio Puerta scoring the decisive goal in the extra time of the return leg.
On May 10, 2006, in the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, Sevilla FC broke a 58 year drought on trophies and became the first Andalusian team to win a European final. Sevilla defeated Middlesbrough F.C. 4-0 in Eindhoven to win the their first UEFA Cup, in the largest UEFA cup victory in history. One goal came from Luis Fabiano, two from Enzo Maresca, and one by Frédéric Kanouté At that time, Sevilla was the only European team which had played in the three major competitions (the European Cup, Cup Winner's Cup and UEFA Cup) and had never lost any game (out of 27) when playing on their home stadium.
2006 UEFA Super Cup
Having convincingly won the 2005-2006 UEFA Cup, Sevilla booked a place in 2006 UEFA Super Cup, a one-off game which pits the UEFA Cup winners and the Champions League winners of the previous year against one another. At the Stade Louis II in Monaco on August 25, 2006, Sevilla beat the defending Champions League title-holders FC Barcelona 3-0 -- thanks an early goal by the Brazilian Renato, a goal just before the half by Kanouté, and a penalty converted by Maresca in the second half stoppage time -- to pick up its second European trophy (their second in three months).
The 2006-2007 UEFA Cup
Sevilla FC finished 5th in La Liga in the 2005-2006 season, and by virtue of this (and also by having won the competition the previous year), Sevilla qualified for the first round of the 2006-2007 UEFA Cup. Seville won that matchup against the Greek side Atromitos and proceeded into the group stage of the competition, where the Andalusian side finished second in the group of five. In the knockout stage that followed this, Sevilla emerged victorious against Steaua Bucharest, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham Hotspur, and Osasuna to qualify for its second consecutive UEFA Cup Final. Sevilla almost didn't survive the last 16 clash with Shaktar Donetsk, in which Sevilla's keeper Andrés Palop scored off a header in injury time to force extra-time against the Ukrainian side. Sevilla ended up winning the game, beating Shaktar 5-4 on aggregate.
On May 16, 2007, in the 2007 UEFA Cup Final held in Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla FC defeated fellow Spanish side RCD Espanyol on penalties for its second consecutive UEFA Cup title. Sevilla became only the second team to defend the UEFA Cup title, following Real Madrid, who achieved this feat in 1985 and 1986.
The 2006-2007 Copa Del Rey & 2007 Supercopa de España
After almost sixty years without having raised a Spanish trophy, Sevilla won the 2006-2007 Copa Del Rey, beating Getafe 1-0 in the final. A goal by Frederic Kanoute in the 12th minute was enough to end Getafe's surprising run in the Copa del Rey.
Victory in the Copa del Rey qualified Sevilla for the 2007 Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup), a two-legged (home and away) final in which the winners of La Liga play the winners of the Copa del Rey. In August 2007, Sevilla played La Liga champions Real Madrid. Sevilla took a 1-0 lead from the home leg, played on August 12, 2007, and the teams played the return leg in Madrid the next week. Seville won this match 5-3, giving them a 6-3 aggregate victory over Real Madrid, and the Supercopa de España-- the team's fifth trophy in 15 months
Antonio PuertaOn the first day of the Spanish League 2007/2008 season, Sevilla were playing Getafe CF when Antonio Puerta began walking towards his goal area, fell to the ground, placed his hands on his knees,and collapsed onto his back. His teammates and Sevilla medical staff came to aid him to make sure of him not swallowing his tongue. He was revived and substituted. In the dressing room afterwards, he collapsed again. He was hospitalized and after 3 days in hospital (in which he was in a 'critical condition' and his health was 'unfavourable') reports came from the Spanish media that Puerta had died. These reports were later confirmed. As a mark of respect for his passing, players from Seville and AC Milan printed "Puerta" on their shirts during the European Super Cup match
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