The 2006 UEFA Cup Final was a football match that took place at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands on 10 May 2006 as the culmination of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. The match was contested by Middlesbrough of England and Sevilla of Spain. Both sides were making their first appearance in a European final; it was Middlesbrough's second season of European competition, while Sevilla had more previous experience in both the UEFA Cup and the European Cup. Both sides had qualified for the competition based on their domestic league positions the previous season, and entered in the first round. To reach the final, they subsequently had to progress through the group stage and knockout rounds to reach the final. Middlesbrough eliminated VfB Stuttgart, Roma, Basel and Steaua București in the knockout stages, while Sevilla beat Lokomotiv Moscow, Lille, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Schalke 04. In front of a crowd of 36,500, Sevilla dominated the final. They took the lead in the 27th minute, when Luís Fabiano headed in a cross from Dani Alves. Middlesbrough switched to an attacking formation in the 70th minute, but Sevilla were able to counter-attack, and doubled their advantage when Enzo Maresca scored from a rebound. Maresca scored his second six minutes later, and Frédéric Kanouté added another for Sevilla in the final minute, to make them 4–0 winners. Background The UEFA Cup was an annual football club competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualified for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions. It was the second-tier competition of European club football, ranking below the UEFA Champions League. In 2010, the UEFA Cup evolved into the Europa League. Middlesbrough had made their first appearance in European football the previous season, when they were eliminated 4–2 by Sporting Lisbon in the last-16. Sevilla's best European season had also been their first, when they reached the quarter-finals of the 1957–58 European Cup, before suffering a heavy 10–2 aggregate loss to Real Madrid. The two sides had never previously met. Middlesbrough qualified for the tournament due to their seventh-place finish in the 2004–05 FA Premier League, while Sevilla had finished sixth in the 2004–05 La Liga. Route to the final Match Overview The final was played at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands on 10 May 2006, and kicked off at 20:45 CEST. The match was attended by 36,500