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By Kevin Hand and Adam Hancock
Published On 21 May 2025

This page is now closed, but a summary of the football match is available below, and you can go here for our full match report.

21 May 2025 - 23:04
 (23:04 GMT)

Goodbye for now

That’s it from our coverage of the Europa League final.

Tottenham’s 17-year wait for a trophy is over – as is their wait of more than four decades for a European trophy.

Spurs also claim a place in next season’s Champions League – missing out on which will be United’s far greater heartache than failing to lift the trophy in the final.

Do join Al Jazeera Sport on Saturday for more live action, and stick with us in between for all the latest sports news.

For now, though – from me, Kevin Hand – it’s goodbye.

21 May 2025 - 22:52
 (22:52 GMT)

Next up for Al Jazeera Sport

We’ll be back on Saturday with more live sport when we bring you the final of the Women’s Champions League.

Arsenal are taking on the record winners Barcelona – do join us for that one if you can.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to bring you the global news on Al Jazeera Sport.

21 May 2025 - 22:37
 (22:37 GMT)

United dominated the play

They say a picture paints a thousand words – so do a lot of scribbles:

21 May 2025 - 22:24
 (22:24 GMT)

Photos: More angles of Johnson’s goal

Manchester United’s Luke Shaw in action as Tottenham Hotspur’s Brennan Johnson scores their first goal past Manchester United’s Andre Onana [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]
Manchester United’s Luke Shaw in action as Tottenham Hotspur’s Brennan Johnson scores their first goal past Manchester United’s Andre Onana [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]

21 May 2025 - 22:14
 (22:14 GMT)

More from Amorim on his job

“I’m confident I am still the guy, more than [at] the beginning of the job,” the United manager told TNT Sports.

“I know it will be tough, we lost against an English team, and the patience of the fans is going to be really short next season.

“I guarantee I will not quit and I will not go away – I am really confident because I know the club, I know what it means to coach them. I know what the team needs, so I have more tools to do my job.”

When asked if he was worried the United owners may seek to change their manager, Amorim replied: “I am not [worried] about that. If they say: ‘Ruben, it is better to change’, then I will leave the next day with no conversation.

“I rely so much on my confidence, in the way I do my job, I’m not worried about that.

“The biggest pain is to lose games and to lose this final – and not give the fans, and especially to my players.

“I am really confident in myself, and I will continue to do the job if the board want me.”

21 May 2025 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)

United’s season of woe continues

The stats across the season look unpleasant for United – it’s now 20 defeats in total:

21 May 2025 - 22:06
 (22:06 GMT)

‘Lads, it’s Spurs’

Sir Alex Ferguson famously inspired his Manchester United team to come back against Tottenham with just three words in a half-time team talk.

“Lads, it’s Spurs” doesn’t hold the same weight anymore.

21 May 2025 - 22:02
 (22:02 GMT)

Our match report is live

Click here to read our full match report following the final in Bilbao.

21 May 2025 - 21:59
 (21:59 GMT)

Son Heung-Min’s post-match thoughts

“In 17 years, no one won a trophy with such amazing players at the club,” the Spurs’ captain said with regards to ending the club’s trophy drought.

“I’ve always dreamt for this day and it has come true. Happiest man in the world.

“When you look at the whole season, we had tough times, but we always stuck together with the injuries and the young players.

“I’ve very lucky to have such a group of young players with me.

“I felt the pressure, I wanted it so badly. I dreamt about this game for seven days. The same dream. Now, I can enjoy it.

“Probably, we will miss our flight. We can celebrate however we want and make it a day to never forget.

“It will be amazing to show the trophy to the fans [during the Premier League game on Sunday].

“I’m very proud to be Korean and to win the trophy. The Korean fans are like family, and I’m very happy.

“You want to play against the best team in the world, maybe we will play against [former Tottenham striker] Harry Kane in the Champions League next season.”

21 May 2025 - 21:57
 (21:57 GMT)

‘It wasn’t a boast it was something I believed in’

Here’s winning manager Ange Postecoglou speaking to beIN SPORTS after the match:

“That was always the focus and ambition to bring success to the club, and you see what it means to the supporters.

I couldn’t be prouder of the players and the staff.”

On another second-season trophy win: “It wasn’t a boast it was something I believed in and we delivered.”

On the game plan: “Once we got ahead, we were quite confident. We have been outstanding in Europe, especially away from home, with clean sheets. There were a couple of moments when they got in behind us, but we were confident we could hold out.”

On his future: “That’s not up to me. All I have tried to do is what I set out to do, and that is bring success to the club.”

21 May 2025 - 21:51
 (21:51 GMT)

Photos: The Spurs celebrations continue

Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min celebrates after winning the Europa League [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou celebrates after winning the Europa League Final [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]
Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison and Brennan Johnson celebrate with teammates [Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters]
Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison salutes the fans [Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters]

21 May 2025 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)

Photos: How the managers’ saw it

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim walks the line during the match [Juan Medina/Reuters]
Amorim and Manchester United’s Amad Diallo look for a throw in [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]
Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison passes his manager Ange Postecoglou as he is substituted [Juan Medina/Reuters]

21 May 2025 - 21:49
 (21:49 GMT)

‘We were the better team in the game’

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has given his reaction to tonight’s defeat in Bilbao:

“We were the better team in the game, but if you don’t score goals, you don’t win matches.”

On his team’s second half performance: “The second half was completely different, we pushed forward and we tried things in many ways to score a goal, but in the end we couldn’t score.”

On what more he could have done to change it: “I tried to do everything to help the team, but in the end it’s too easy to say I could do something different. If we had scored with one opportunity, everything is different.”

On what he learned from the final: “I think the important thing is we gave everything to win the game. That was really clear even in the second half.”

On the future: “The next step is to develop the club, but tonight it is to deal with the pain, and then we will have time to assess the season.”

21 May 2025 - 21:44
 (21:44 GMT)

‘It’s what the club deserve’

Pape Matar Sarr is the latest Tottenham player to speak to the beIN SPORTS cameras:

“I feel good. We just enjoyed the trophy, it’s what the club deserve.”

He was also asked what this meant to his manager, Ange Postecoglou.

“I think he is an unbelievable manager. I want to stay with him for more years because he is a nice coach.”

21 May 2025 - 21:33
 (21:33 GMT)

‘The season was so difficult, but we kept pushing and pushing’

More reaction from the Spurs camp now and Micky van de Ven has been speaking to beIN SPORTS.

“It’s unbelievable.

“If you look at the fans, they kept pushing us the whole season. The season was so difficult, but we kept pushing and pushing.”

He also reflected on his crucial goal line clearance in the second half:

“I haven’t watched it back yet, but I can tell you that the ground over there is not really soft!”

21 May 2025 - 21:29
 (21:29 GMT)

Photos: How the fans saw it

Tottenham Hotspur fans react in the stands [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]
Tottenham Hotspur fans chant in the stands [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]
A Manchester United fan looks dejected after Tottenham Hotspur’s first goal [Vincent West/Reuters]

21 May 2025 - 21:26
 (21:26 GMT)

He knew all along

It’s been a tough season for Ange Postecoglou, with Tottenham suffering numerous defeats in the Premier League.

The Australian manager has found himself in arguments with fans and the media, but he has maintained throughout that he would win a trophy in his second season.

That’s now nine second-season trophy wins for the man they call Big Ange.

21 May 2025 - 21:24
 (21:24 GMT)

The final in stats

21 May 2025 - 21:21
 (21:21 GMT)

Tottenham lift the Europa League

Under a stream of golden ticker tape, the Spurs players celebrate with the trophy.

The party is just getting started.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min lifts the trophy as he celebrates with his teammates after winning the Europa League [Juan Medina/Reuters]
21 May 2025 - 21:19
 (21:19 GMT)

Spurs head up to get the trophy

Here comes the Tottenham players, led by manager Ange Postecoglou.

It’s medals first, before the players gather around the trophy for the moment they have been waiting for.

Tottenham’s long wait for a trophy is almost over.

 

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