UEFA Europa League

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Lore & Background

Ajax's history in European competition is overwhelmingly defined by the glory of the European Champion Clubs' Cup and UEFA Champions League, particularly the legendary runs of the early 1970s. In contrast, their record in the UEFA Cup/Europa League has been more modest. Before the 2016–17 season, Ajax had reached only one other final in this competition: the 1992 UEFA Cup Final, which they won against Torino on away goals. The path to the 2017 final was significant because it marked Manchester United's first-ever appearance in a UEFA Cup/Europa League final. Historically, the two clubs had met four times in European competitions, all within the UEFA Cup/Europa League framework. Ajax held a balanced head-to-head record with two wins and two losses against their opponents. Notably, Manchester United had eliminated Ajax on both previous occasions: first by a 2–1 aggregate scoreline in the 1976–77 UEFA Cup first round, and again by a 3–2 aggregate margin in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League round of 32. The 2017 final offered Ajax a chance to reverse this historical trend.

In Their Own Story

The final took place on May 24, 2017, at Friends Arena in Solna, Stockholm. Police had implemented strict security measures due to the threat of terrorist attacks and potential clashes between supporters, describing the situation as "the new normality" following two incidents in Stockholm in 2010 and just a month prior to the match. The opening ceremony was considerably reduced, with a minute's silence observed before kickoff in memory of the victims of the bombing in Manchester that occurred only two days earlier. For administrative purposes, Ajax was designated as the "home" team following a draw held on April 21, 2017, and wore their new home kit. Manchester United wore their outgoing away (European third) kit. The match began with Paul Pogba opening the scoring for Manchester United in the 18th minute. His low left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area deflected off Davinson Sánchez, wrong-footing the goalkeeper before looping over him into the net. Three minutes into the second half, Henrikh Mkhitaryan secured the victory with a right-footed finish from three yards out after Chris Smalling knocked the ball down to him following a corner from Juan Mata. The match ended 2–0 to Manchester United. Wayne Rooney entered the game minutes before the final whistle, took the captain's armband, and led his team to lift the trophy in what was his final game for United before returning to Everton less than two months later.

Reader's Guide

Fans attending the 2017 final had access to a total of 37,000 tickets distributed across various categories. The stadium capacity was set at 48,000 for the event. Each finalist team received 10,000 tickets, while 17,000 tickets were available for sale globally via UEFA.com between March 17 and March 28, 2017. These public tickets were priced in four categories: €150, €100, €70, and €45. The remaining inventory was allocated to the local organizing committee, UEFA, national associations, commercial partners, broadcasters, and corporate hospitality programs. The match officials were appointed in May 2017, with Slovenian referee Damir Skomina leading the crew. He was supported by compatriots Jure Praprotnik and Robert Vukan as assistant referees, Matej Jug and Slavko Vinčić as additional assistant referees, Tomaž Klančnik as reserve assistant referee, and Italian official Gianluca Rocchi as fourth official. The ambassador for the final was former Swedish international Patrik Andersson, known for winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2001. The brand identity for the final was unveiled on August 26, 2016, in Monaco during the group stage draw. This victory propelled Manchester United to face Real Madrid in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup and earned them a berth in the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League group stage.

Did You Know?

• This was Manchester United's first-ever UEFA Cup/Europa League final.
• Ajax became the fifth club to lose a final in all three major European competitions (Champions League, Europa League/Cup Winners' Cup) after this defeat.
• Wayne Rooney captained the winning side and lifted the trophy in his final game for Manchester United before moving to Everton.
• The opening ceremony was significantly reduced due to a minute's silence for the victims of the Manchester bombing two days prior.
• Manchester United had previously eliminated Ajax from European competition twice: in 1976–77 and 2011–12.