Tag: Europa League

TURIN: Federico Gatti headed home in the 97th minute to earn Juventus a 1-1 draw against Sevilla in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday.

Youssef En-Nesyri gave the record six-time champions the lead in the first half and they seemed set to take that advantage back to Seville before Gatti’s late intervention.

Moroccan international En-Nesyri finished a sharp counter-attack in the 26th minute to break the deadlock in Turin.

Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side deserved their lead at the break and although Juventus improved, the Andalucians shut them out well in their bid to take their advantage back to the rowdy Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan next week.

However Gatti nodded home from point blank range after substitute Paul Pogba headed the ball back into his path from a corner.

“It’s a shame, given the game that we played, that they levelled in the last play of the match, but it is what it is,” said Mendilibar.

“We stopped Juventus in every moment and we played well at times too, we have to think about that, not the last moment of the game.”

Sevilla, who dumped Manchester United out in the quarter-finals, have never been knocked out of the tournament in the semi-final stage.

The Spaniards, who won the Europa League at the Juventus Stadium in 2014, made themselves at home in the first half.

The hosts should have taken the lead when Dusan Vlahovic fired over, perhaps put off by Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou’s dive at his feet.

After that Mendilibar’s side started to impose themselves, with Lucas Ocampos playing a key role.

The Argentine winger, recalled from his loan at Ajax in January, sent a shot inches wide from close range, before making amends by setting up the opening goal.

Ocampos drove forward and played a low ball across the area, which Bryan Gil left for En-Nesyri to sweep home.

The forward has been in sensational form since the World Cup, with 16 goals in 2023 across all competitions.

“On the counter-attack we were caught out because we didn’t track back and left gaps,” Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.

“(We) did well to fight back and get a deserved draw which leaves everything to play for in the second leg.”

Sevilla were dealt a blow when Ocampos limped off injured shortly afterwards, but stayed on the attack. Wojciech Szczesny tipped over an Ivan Rakitic drive from distance, while En-Nesyri curled narrowly off target.

– ‘It’s a pity’ –

Massimiliano Allegri took action, sending on Federico Chiesa and young English winger Samuel Iling-Junior at half-time in search of the equaliser.

Juventus, second in Serie A but waiting on the outcome of an Italian football federation ruling on illicit transfer activity, may end up needing to qualify for next season’s Champions League through Europa League victory.

Former Chelsea youth team player Iling-Junior cut in dangerously from the left but could not find a final ball as a more composed Juventus enjoyed more control.

It was another Juventus substitution which proved crucial. Veteran defender Leonardo Bonucci, on his 500th appearance in all competitions for Juventus, was taken off with a groin injury for Gatti after an hour.

Eventually their second-half pressure paid off when Gatti scored with virtually the last touch of the game, leaving honours even ahead of the return in Seville next Thursday.

Gatti, who also struck for Juventus in the quarter-finals against Sporting, ensured the Italians remained unbeaten at home in the Europa League this season.

Sevilla players were left frustrated as the 24-year-old centre-back nodded in after the six minutes of time added on had expired, but will have to wait until next week to set things straight.

“It’s a pity, the referee let play go on and we didn’t know how to defend the move,” added Mendilibar.

“Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes against you. If we had defended well, then nothing would have happened.”

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SEVILLE: Manchester United crashed out of the Europa League in shambolic fashion on Thursday with Sevilla beating them 3-0, to reach the semi-finals 5-2 on aggregate.

The record six-time winners thoroughly outplayed Erik ten Hag’s side, who repeatedly shot themselves in the foot again, having scored two own goals in the first leg.

Harry Maguire, guilty of one of those calamitous moments, endured another as he gave the ball away on the edge of his own area and Youssef En-Nesyri pounced to break the deadlock early on.

Loic Bade headed home the second from a corner in the first minute of the second half, with Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side meriting their advantage, which they defended adroitly.

En-Nesyri rolled home his second goal into an empty net after United goalkeeper David de Gea put the ball on a plate for him, with home fans rejoicing on an electric night at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.

Sevilla will face Italian giants Juventus in the semi-finals after the Old Lady beat Sporting Lisbon 2-1 on aggregate.

Ten Hag criticised his “unacceptable” team, saying they lacked spirit compared to their opponents.

“We have to be better, it’s not about playing skills, it’s about character, to be composed and have desire and passion — they had more willingness to win and it can’t be, I think that’s unacceptable,” the coach told reporters.

“Even though they are a great team and the ambience was also great, with a lot of positive energy in the stadium, we have to deal with it, we have to do better.”

Ten Hag started with Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw on the bench with the duo on their way back from injury.

With the stadium rocking, Sevilla threw themselves into the game with great intensity and were swiftly rewarded by Maguire.

With Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane injured, Ten Hag had no choice but to start with the Englishman at centre-back alongside Victor Lindelof.

Maguire rolled the ball back to goalkeeper De Gea and called to receive it again from the Spanish goalkeeper, seemingly nonplussed about the three Sevilla players buzzing around him.

As Maguire tried to pass the ball, former Tottenham winger Erik Lamela intercepted it and En-Nesyri took charge of the situation and stroked it past De Gea at his near post.

United tried to fight back but created few chances of note, shorn of suspended playmaker Bruno Fernandes.

Sevilla thought they had netted a second goal when Lucas Ocampos rammed home to ignite the Pizjuan again but VAR showed a tight offside against Marcos Acuna in the build-up.

The hosts looked every bit the Europa League experts their outstanding record illustrates, rather than their domestic version, battling relegation.

– ‘Football is simple’ –

Ten Hag threw on Shaw and Rashford at the break, but Sevilla started the second half just as they ended the first, on the front foot, and Bade immediately steered home a looping header from Rakitic’s corner.

Back on home soil, De Gea might have done more to keep out Bade’s effort, with some also criticising him for his role in Sevilla’s opener — worse was yet to come.

Anthony Martial, who made no impact on loan at Sevilla last season, made way for Wout Weghorst, as Ten Hag turned to Plan B.

However Sevilla killed the game with 10 minutes remaining when De Gea ran out of his box and mishit an attempted clearance, and Morocco international En-Nesyri took full advantage to stroke home.

“The truth is I’m very happy for the two goals, and because of the fans — I’ve never seen an atmosphere like this in my life,” En-Nesyri told Movistar after his brace.

Sevilla’s Europa League adventure is the highlight of their campaign, with the Andalucians 13th in Spain, eight points above the relegation zone.

Mendilibar is unbeaten in five games across all competitions since being appointed to replace Jorge Sampaoli, adopting a back-to-basics approach.

“Football is simple, I don’t want to make things complicated for the players,” said Mendilibar.

“Adopting the most simple way to play, the players see they can play like this.”

United must pick themselves up to play in the FA Cup semi-final against Brighton at Wembley on Sunday.

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MANCHESTER: Two late own goals left Manchester United work to do to reach the Europa League semi-finals as Sevilla salvaged a 2-2 draw from the first leg of their quarter-final tie at Old Trafford on Thursday.

United appeared to be cruising to victory through two goals from Marcel Sabitzer inside the opening 21 minutes.

But the loss of centre-backs Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez to injury proved costly as Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire deflected balls into their own net in the final six minutes plus stoppage time.

United will also have to cope without Bruno Fernandes for the second leg on April 20 after he picked up a yellow card that leads to a suspension.

“We conceded two own goals, bad luck, and we have to deal with it,” said United manager Erik ten Hag. “We have to learn to kill the game, but still everything is open.”

The home side were without 28-goal top scorer Marcus Rashford due to injury, but still made light work of the Spaniards before half-time as Sabitzer struck twice.

Anthony Martial’s return for injury is a timely boost for Ten Hag with Rashford set to be sidelined for a few weeks.

The Frenchman has been a peripheral figure since the Dutchman took charge, but Ten Hag said on the eve of the game that his side play their best football with Martial up front.

So it proved as Martial’s hold-up play eventually saw the ball worked to Fernandes, who fired a ball into Sabitzer’s feet and the on-loan Bayern Munich midfielder coolly slotted past Bono.

Just a few moments later Sabitzer, who had scored only once for United in 12 previous appearances, netted his second. Martial was this time the creator with a perfect pass through for Sabitzer to again leave Bono in the Sevilla goal with no chance.

Casemiro’s first appearance for nearly a month due to a four-game Premier League ban added authority to the United midfield and the Brazilian should have marked the occasion with a goal after more good approach play by Martial.

– Martinez concern –

Sevilla are fighting a relegation battle in La Liga and it showed until a late flurry as they only briefly threatened to bring the tie to life.

Tanguy Nianzou’s powerful header in first-half stoppage time was saved by David De Gea before Varane completed the clearance off the line.

Antony came closest to adding to United’s lead in the second half when the winger struck the inside of the post with Fernandes begging for a pass in a better position.

Malacia should also have done better when teed up by Wout Weghorst in acres of space inside the Sevilla box.

Ten Hag showed his thoughts were already turning to a trip to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday as Fernandes and Martial made way in the final half-hour.

That decision proved costly as Malacia dallied to allow Jesus Navas to pounce inside the United box, the former Manchester City winger’s cross deflecting off the Dutch left-back to wrong-foot De Gea.

Martinez then pulled up with a what looked like a concerning Achilles injury and had to be helped from the field by fellow Argentine World Cup winners Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel.

United had already made their five substitutions so ended the game with 10 men and could not hold on.

De Gea produced a brilliant save to deny Youssef En-Nesyri an equaliser.

But United’s reprieve only lasted seconds as another En-Nesyri header cannoned off Maguire and into the net in the 92nd minute.

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PSV Eindhoven have handed a 40-year stadium ban to a supporter who was found guilty of attacking the opposing team’s goalkeeper during a Europa League match last month.

According to the details, the Dutch club banned the 20-year-old man from their stadium who invaded the pitch and attacked Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic during the play-off second leg on February 23.

He was also prohibited from entering the area around PSV’s Philips Stadium for two years.

The pitch invader was already serving a national stadium ban until 2026 imposed by the Dutch football association and was also given a three-month prison sentence.

The club said it was also looking to recover financial damages from the man.

The incident invited a disciplinary case against PSV by UEFA and the club is expected to face a heavy fine from the European football body.

The offender approached Serb Dmitrovic near the end of the game and punched him in the face. The goalkeeper wrestled back before the stewards removed the invader from the ground.

Dmitrovic kept on playing after the episode as Sevilla lost 2-0 in that match, but won the round on a 3-2 aggregate.

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SEVILLE: Sporting Lisbon sent Arsenal crashing out of the Europa League with a penalty shoot-out triumph after Pedro Goncalves’s stunning equaliser, while Manchester United and Juventus eased into the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Sporting trailed when Granit Xhaka put Premier League leaders Arsenal ahead at the Emirates Stadium.

But Portugal midfielder Goncalves forced extra-time when he caught out Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale with a breathtaking strike from 46 yards out.

With reality television star Kim Kardashian and her Arsenal fan son Saint among the spectators, the match ended level at 1-1 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate, requiring penalties to settle the tie.

Sporting emerged with a shock 5-3 victory in the shoot-out as Gabriel Martinelli’s effort was saved by Antonio Adan and Nuno Santos dispatched the winning kick.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the result was “a huge blow” and blasted his side for wasting chances.

“There were moments in the first 75 minutes where we weren’t at our level. We gave every ball away and we didn’t have the capacity to take the game,” the Spaniard said.

“There were chances to win it in extra-time. There was a lot of uncertainty with the pens. It was a very difficult game.”

It was a far calmer night for Manchester United as Marcus Rashford’s swerving strike from distance earned a 1-0 win at Real Betis and a 5-1 aggregate success.

Joaquin hit the post for Betis and Juanmi spurned two clear chances for the hosts as they started well, desperately trying to overturn their three-goal deficit at the lively Benito Villamarin stadium.

However Rashford’s brilliant goal early in the second half killed off the tie.

“Once you score the first goal the game is gone, and they don’t have the belief anymore,” said Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.

“That is another step (forward) we made mentally, a winning attitude, to deal with that.”

– Juventus advance with ease –

Three-time champions Juventus earned a 2-0 win over 10-man Freiburg to progress 3-0 on aggregate, with goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa.

Juventus, leading Freiburg by a goal from the first leg, thought they had taken the lead when Vlahovic struck from close range, but it was ruled offside by VAR.

The Serbian forward then broke the deadlock just before the break from the penalty spot after Manuel Gulde handled in the box and was shown his second yellow card.

With Juventus fully in control and Freiburg at a numerical disadvantage, the tie was as good as over and Chiesa wrapped up the win late on.

Sevilla, the record six-time winners of this competition, suffered a nervy 1-0 defeat at Fenerbahce as Enner Valencia netted from the spot, but still qualified 2-1 on aggregate.

Jorge Sampaoli’s Sevilla, struggling badly in La Liga, suffered defeat in Turkey but had done enough at home to progress against Fenerbahce and continue their charge.

Michy Batshuayi went off injured for the hosts early on, damaging their comeback bid, but Jorge Jesus’s team took the lead when Alex Telles handled in the box.

Veteran Ecuador striker Valencia drilled home his 24th goal of the season for Fenerbahce.

Sevilla held out to progress despite pressure from the hosts in the second half, as they looked for a second goal to force extra-time.

Feyenoord thrashed Shakhtar Donetsk 7-1 on the night at De Kuip to progress to the last eight 8-2 on aggregate.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma drew 0-0 at Real Sociedad to advance 2-0 on aggregate, while Bayer Leverkusen won 2-0 at Ferencvaros to clinch a 4-0 aggregate success.

In the UEFA Conference League last 16, Fiorentina thrashed Sivasspor 4-1, triumphing 5-1 on aggregate, but fellow Serie A side Lazio were knocked out, losing 2-1 at AZ Alkmaar on the night and 4-2 on aggregate.

West Ham thrashed AEK Larnaca 4-0 to complete a 6-0 aggregate stroll, with Anderlecht beating Villarreal 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-0 victory in Spain.

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MANCHESTER: Manchester United bounced back from a historic thrashing by Liverpool to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie on Thursday, while a 2-2 draw away to Sporting Lisbon gave Arsenal work to do to reach the quarter-finals.

United equalled their heaviest ever defeat and worst since 1931 in losing 7-0 at Anfield on Sunday.

Erik ten Hag responded by naming the same starting line-up and was rewarded with a return to form.

“You see how a team reacts after a setback,” said Ten Hag. “This is not the first time this season, I think you see five or six times we can reset and bounce back. This team has character so a big compliment to the team.”

Marcus Rashford smashed United into an early lead with his 26th goal of the season, but Betis levelled against the run of play when Ayoze Perez fired into the far corner.

It was two of United’s most fiercely criticised stars in recent days who made the difference after the break.

Antony curled a brilliant shot into the top corner before Bruno Fernandes, who Ten Hag named again as captain, headed in Luke Shaw’s corner.

“Bruno was brilliant today,” added Ten Hag. “He led the team from the first minute by his game in possession, making the rhythm of the game and scored a goal so I am happy.”

Wout Weghorst then netted just his second goal in 15 appearances for United by pouncing from close range six minutes from time.

Premier League leaders Arsenal were forced to come from behind to salvage a draw in the Portuguese capital.

Despite going for a first league title in 19 years, Mikel Arteta named a strong side and William Saliba headed the visitors into the lead.

Sporting equalised shortly after in near identical fashion, with Goncalo Inacio heading home Marcus Edwards’ corner.

Former Tottenham midfielder Edwards then had a role in Sporting’s second as Paulinho reacted quickest to finish inside the area.

Arsenal were level just after the hour mark, though, when Granit Xhaka’s cross deflected off the unfortunate Hidemasa Morita and rebounded into his own net.

“Considering you concede two goals away from home and still escape with a draw you have to take some positives,” said Arsenal boss Arteta.

“But we gave them too much hope by giving the ball away in our own half too many times.”

– Advantage to Italian giants –

Juventus will take a narrow lead to Germany next week after the in-form Angel di Maria scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Freiburg.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma are also on course for the last eight after goals from Stephan El Shaarawy and Marash Kumbulla saw off Real Sociedad 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico.

Six-time winners Sevilla may be fighting a relegation battle in La Liga, but are always a threat in the Europa League and will take a 2-0 first leg lead over Fenerbahce to Istanbul next week thanks to goals from Joan Jordan and Erik Lamela.

The game of the night saw Bundesliga surprise package Union Berlin snatch a 3-3 draw against Union Saint-Gilloise despite having trailed three times.

Bayer Leverkusen beat Ferencvaros 2-0 at home, while Shakhtar Donetsk and Feyenoord played out a 1-1 draw.

In the UEFA Conference League, Michael Antonio hit two first half goals to earn West Ham a 2-0 win at AEK Larnaca.

Villarreal were held 1-1 away at Anderlecht, while Nice and Fiorentina took 1-0 leads over Sheriff Tiraspol and Sivasspor respectively.

Manchester United edged out Barcelona to reach the Europa League last 16 on Thursday where they were joined by fellow heavyweights Juventus and Roma.

After the first leg of their play-off ended 2-2 in Spain, United got the better of Barcelona at Old Trafford to progress 4-3 on aggregate with Antony securing the winner.

Robert Lewandowski’s early penalty had given Barca the perfect start but La Liga leaders were again undone with the step up to the European stage as Fred levelled early in the second period.

Antony then delivered his biggest moment since arriving in Manchester from Ajax.

United are riding the crest of a wave in Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge as the Red Devils remain in the hunt for trophies on four fronts.

United could end a six-year wait for silverware when they face Newcastle in the League Cup final on Sunday.

But they left nothing in reserve to secure their biggest European scalp since dumping Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League last 16 in dramatic fashion in 2019.

United are now unbeaten at Old Trafford in 18 games dating back to September.

“Very good to hear my name from the fans but it was a good game we played today,” said Fred.

“We need to keep going. We have a final on Sunday and now we have to change our mind to go to the final.”

Former United star Angel di Maria scored a hat-trick as Juventus reached the next stage with a 3-0 second leg win over Nantes.

The result allowed the Italian giants to progress 4-1 on aggregate.

Argentine World Cup winner Di Maria opened the scoring after five minutes and then added a 20th-minute penalty.

Di Maria completed his hat-trick in the 78th minute, in a game where the French side had been reduced to 10 men after just a quarter of an hour when Nicolas Pallois was red-carded for handball.

“After we were knocked out of the Champions League, some people might have thought the Europa League would be a walk in the park for Juventus, but it is not that simple,” said Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri.

“This was an important match, but it was not perfect. We still have work to do. There were things I was not happy with this evening.”

Jose Mourinho’s Roma also made it to Friday’s last 16 draw as a 2-0 win overturned a one-goal deficit from the first leg against Salzburg.

Andrea Belotti and Paulo Dybala scored in a seven-minute first-half spell to secure the win.

Six-time champions Sevilla went down to a 2-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands but progressed 3-2 on aggregate.

Luuk de Jong and Fabio Silva hit late goals for the Dutch team who had Mauro Junior sent off in stoppage time.

Sporting Lisbon were also amongst the winners, a 4-0 victory at Midtjylland in Denmark sealing a 5-1 victory.

Union Berlin, who are riding high in the Bundesliga, defeated Ajax 3-1 after the first leg had ended goalless last week.

Robin Knoche, Josip Juranovic and Danilho Doekhi scored the goals which gave Union a first ever win in the Europa League knockout stages.

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PARIS: Barcelona and Manchester United played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Europa League play-off tie on Thursday, while Juventus were left frustrated by Nantes in a 1-1 stalemate.

The game at the Camp Nou brought together two European giants who met in two Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011, and who are both in excellent form domestically.

After a goalless first half, La Liga leaders Barcelona went ahead five minutes into the second half thanks to a Marcos Alonso header at a corner.

However, United drew level just three minutes later when Marcus Rashford beat Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen at his near post to score a 13th goal in 15 games since the World Cup.

The Premier League side then took the lead just before the hour mark through a Jules Kounde own goal, but a Raphinha cross flew in inside the final quarter of an hour to secure a draw for Barca before a crowd of more than 90,000.

“I think it was a great game. Two attacking teams, I think it was a Champions League game, even more than that,” United boss Erik ten Hag told broadcaster BT Sport. “We have to finish it in Old Trafford.”

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez was left complaining that his side should have had a penalty for a handball by Fred.

“It’s a stolen penalty,” said Xavi. “I don’t know why they don’t whistle for penalties for handball now. It seems incredible to me. Incredible.”

Winning the Europa League may represent the best chance for Juventus to return to the Champions League next season after they were handed a 15-point deduction in Serie A.

That punishment, for what the Italian Football Federation ruled was illicit transfer activity designed to artificially boost their accounts, has left the Turin giants 12 points adrift of the top four at home.

Against Nantes they looked on course for a comfortable win when Federico Chiesa nodded a ball across the face of goal for Dusan Vlahovic to open the scoring early on.

But French Cup holders Nantes equalised on the breakaway on the hour when Ludovic Blas ran through to finish emphatically.

A Chiesa shot then hit the underside of the bar and bounced down without quite all of the ball crossing the line, before it struck the post and rebounded away.

Nantes also survived a VAR penalty check for a handball deep in injury time, the referee instead giving them a free-kick and leaving Juventus with work to do in the return.

Sevilla win, Roma lose

Elsewhere, Monaco came from behind to triumph 3-2 away against Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, with Axel Disasi scoring the winner in the 92nd minute.

An own goal by Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky had put Monaco ahead early on only for second-half goals by Moussa Diaby and Florian Wirtz to turn the game around.

However, Krepin Diatta pulled the principality team back level before France defender Disasi’s strike.

Shakhtar Donetsk were 2-1 winners against Rennes as the Ukrainian club played their first European game since selling star winger Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea.

Playing in the Polish capital Warsaw, Dmytro Kryskiv put Shakhtar ahead and Artem Bondarenko netted a penalty before Karl Toko-Ekambi pulled one back for Rennes.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma went down 1-0 away to Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg with Argentine midfielder Nicolas Capaldo scoring a late winner.

Sevilla, the competition’s most successful club, beat PSV Eindhoven 3-0 in Spain as Youssef En-Nesyri, Lucas Ocampos and Nemanja Gudelj all netted.

Ajax drew 0-0 with Union Berlin, while Sebastian Coates scored deep into stoppage time to earn Sporting a 1-1 draw with Midtjylland of Denmark in Lisbon.

The second legs will be played next Thursday with places in the last 16 up for grabs alongside the eight teams who topped their groups.

Fiorentina were the biggest winners in the first legs of the Europa Conference League play-offs as they trounced Braga 4-0 in Portugal.

Ciro Immobile gave Lazio a 1-0 victory against CFR Cluj while there were also first-leg wins for Qarabag, Trabzonspor, AEK Larnaca, Partizan Belgrade and Ludogorets.

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