The Stadion Miejski in Gdansk plays host to a highly-anticipated Europa League final between Villarreal and Manchester United on Wednesday, with both sides aiming to round off the strangest of seasons with some continental silverware.

The Yellow Submarine's eccentric leader Unai Emery is Europa League expert number one, having steered Sevilla to three consecutive successes, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is aiming to end a Red Devils trophy drought spanning four years.

With a pathway into the Champions League ready and waiting for the winner, Europe's secondary competition is most certainly a prestigious one to win, and there have been some cracking strikes in showpiece events of years gone by.

As the likes of Edinson Cavani, Gerard Moreno and Bruno Fernandes dust off their best shooting boots ahead of Wednesday's battle, Sports Mole takes a look at the five greatest strikes in the final since the one-legged format was introduced in the 1997-98 season.

5. Alex Iwobi - Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal (2019)

A peach of a half-volley which meant absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things, Alex Iwobi - arguably Arsenal's best player in their 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in 2019 - lashed home the goal of the night in Baku.

The now-Everton forward latched on to a header from Jorginho as he attempted to clear Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's mishit effort, and he let the ball bounce once before firing an outside-of-the-boot effort right into the far corner, but it was only a consolation for Arsenal, who had already shipped three on their way to a dampening defeat.

4. Enrico Chiesa - Parma 3-0 Marseille (1999)

Two of the most illustrious names in Parma's history played a key part in their third goal of a dominant final showing against French counterparts Marseille, who found themselves 2-0 down at half time of a one-sided 1999 final.

With 55 minutes on the clock, Juan Sebastian Veron picked up the ball on the right and delivered a sumptuous cross destined for the feet of Hernan Crespo, but the Argentine instead produced a cheeky dummy as the ball ran through to Enrico Chiesa, who fired home a vicious half-volley into the top corner to settle the contest.

3. Romelu Lukaku (OG) - Sevilla 3-2 Inter Milan (2020)

So often renowned for his prowess at the other end of the pitch, Romelu Lukaku was involved in a game-defining moment in his own penalty area in last season's final against Sevilla, after he had already drawn first blood from the penalty spot.

A free kick whipped in by Ever Banega eventually fell kindly for Diego Carlos - who gave away the penalty which Lukaku converted earlier in the game - and the defender's bicycle kick would have been heading wide had Lukaku not got a toe on it and diverted the ball into his own net.

An ironic set of circumstances as Carlos went from zero to hero - but vice versa for Lukaku - and that unfortunate own goal would end up proving the pivotal one as Sevilla secured their sixth triumph in Europe's secondary competition.

2. Jan Koller - Feyenoord 3-2 Borussia Dortmund (2002)

It was fitting to see one of the most memorable UEFA Cup finals since the turn of the millennium produce one of the sweetest strikes that the showpiece event has seen, even if Jan Koller's effort for Borussia Dortmund failed to inspire a late comeback against Feyenoord.

With the Black and Yellow trailing 3-1 and a man down, Koller chested the ball down and unleashed a thunderous 25-yard half-volley into the top corner of the net, but Dortmund could not strike for a third time in the game and were forced to settle for runners-up medals once again.

1. Javier Zanetti - Inter Milan 3-0 Lazio (1998)

Inter Milan luminary Javier Zanetti is not just admired for his longevity. The versatile Argentine's Nerazzurri career spanned 19 years, during which time he claimed a mere 21 goals in 858 appearances, but none were as sweet as his thunderbolt in the 1998 UEFA Cup final.

After witnessing teammates Ivan Zamorano - who had already opened the scoring - and Ronaldo both strike the woodwork against Lazio, the ball fell kindly for a 24-year-old Zanetti on the edge of the area, and he did not even take a touch before firing home an unstoppable effort in off the crossbar.

Zanetti's celebration was that of a man who knew he was on his way to continental glory, and for a player who almost never scored in an otherwise remarkable career, he certainly saved his best for the big occasion.