Category: UEFA Europa League

• Arsenal get PSV and Aston Villa play Club Brugge
• Europa League: Spurs v AZ, Man Utd v Real Sociedad
• Rangers face Fenerbahce; Chelsea draw Copenhagen

Liverpool will face Paris Saint-Germain in a Champions League last-16 tie that provides a significant hurdle in their attempt to lift the trophy for the first time since 2019.

It is the toughest-looking assignment of those presented to the Premier League’s three representatives. Arsenal will fancy their chances of overcoming PSV Eindhoven over two legs, while Aston Villa will be favoured to navigate a rematch with the surprise packages Club Brugge for a place in the quarter-finals. The standout tie by some distance, though, is a Madrid derby between age-old rivals Real and Atlético.

Continue reading...

Ajax sneaked through despite losing at home, while Shamrock Rovers were eliminated on penalties by Molde

45 min: Roma 2-1 Porto (agg: 3-2) Roma almost scored a third a moment ago, with a shot cleared off the line by Otavio. I didn’t see exactly what happened because THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON.

Welcome to heaven. AZ Alkmaar are cruising into the last 16 of the Europa League, having done a helluva number on one of the tournament favourties. After a superb run from Ernest Poku, Gabriel Sara’s attempted clearance hit Seiya Maikuma and ricocheted into the net.

Continue reading...

AZ Alkmaar stunned Gala, 10-man Roma held on in Portugal and 16-year-old Jorthy Mokio helped Ajax beat Union SG

Ajax lead in Belgium. A fine, end-to-end move was finished off beautifully by Christian Rasmussen, who clipped a first-time shot into the far corner from 19 yards.

It’s all going swimmingly for Jose Mourinho. Youssef En-Nesyri has put Fenerbahce 3-0 ahead with a mighty header from Sebastian Szymanski’s cross. He was about 15 yards out and powered it into the bottom corner at the near post.

Continue reading...

• European playoff draws due to begin at 11am (GMT)
• Ten things to look out for this weekend | Mail Simon

Uefa are still preambling. I have learned that one side of the draw will be silver and the other side will be blue.

Uefa are going big on the preambles here, so I’ve got time to remind you of the basic rules. There are eight seeded teams and eight unseeded teams. The two seeded teams with the highest league finish will be drawn against the two unseeded teams with the lowest league finish and so on, until everyone’s paired up. So Atalanta will play Sporting or Brugge, and Borussia Dortmund will play the other one, while PSG will play Monaco or Brest and Benfica will get the other one. You can play teams from your own country, and teams you played in the group. Got it? Great.

Continue reading...

Rangers claimed the eighth and final direct place in the last 16 of the Europa League with a nervy win over their Belgian visitors at Ibrox.

The midfielder Nicolas Raskin scored his first goal of the season with a header and the fit-again winger Vaclav Cerny doubled that lead soon after the break. Sébastien Pocognoli’s side, who started the night on 11 points, the same as their hosts, had their chances and the defender Kevin Mac Allister reduced the deficit late on but Rangers held out for the win they needed.

Continue reading...

Tottenham’s young guns earned a 3-0 win over Elfsborg while Rangers crept into the top eight by holding off Union SG 2-1

GOAL! Braga 1-0 Lazio (Horta 6). Victor Gómez advances down the right and cuts back for his captain Ricardo Horta, who whips into the bottom left. A lovely goal, and so Braga are on for the win they need to survive. Lazio, the table toppers, have little or nothing to play for.

Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Elfsborg. A sprightly start for Spurs as Mikey Moore spins in from the right touchline and attacks the visiting defence. The ball’s switched to Son Heung-Min on the other flank. A scuffed shot. But a promising early attack.

Continue reading...

• Fernandes stoppage-time strike sinks Rangers
• Manager tight-lipped over Garnacho’s future

Ruben Amorim admitted Manchester United’s stoppage-time 2-1 Europa League win over Rangers was “truly needed in this moment”.

It followed Sunday’s dismal 3-1 defeat by Brighton and was only a second victory at Old Trafford since mid-December. It also came after the head coach describing his team as possibly the poorest of the club’s history, though he subsequently said he regretted the comment.

Continue reading...

Winning is the only cast-iron way to control the message in football. So after Ruben Amorim’s various recent rhetorical wrong turns this added-time, sixth victory of a chequered 16-game Manchester United reign was needed.

On 88 minutes it seemed very far from on as Harry Maguire missed a header to enable Cyriel Dessers to steal in and equalise with aplomb. But, then, Bruno Fernandes’s late strike grabbed the points, his winner following Jack Butland’s odd, back-fisted punch for an own-goal opener that will haunt the No 1 for many a day.

Continue reading...

Bruno Fernandes scored a dramatic added-time winner, just when it looked as though Cyriel Dessers had rescued a point for the visitors

3 min: Garnacho dribbles in from the left, in the old-fashioned jinking Scottish style, and has a whack. Straight at Butland. Meanwhile up in the stand, the one-time Rangers starlet Alex Ferguson watches on.

2 min: United are immediately on the front foot. Garnacho and Dalot probe down the left. Then a look for the one-time Rangers starlet Diallo on the right. Rangers yet to have a significant touch.

Continue reading...

Tottenham clung on as Hoffenheim fought back in the second half to claim three beautiful points away from home

1 min: Peeeep! Spurs get the game going.

Right then, all the preambles have been ambled and there’s nothing but a quick team huddle between us and kick-off.

Continue reading...

Rasmus Højlund’s double secured Manchester United a much-needed 2-1 comeback victory in the Europa League at Viktoria Plzen as Ruben Amorim registered his first away win as head coach.

After making a promising start to life as Erik ten Hag’s successor, things were thrown off track as the shock exit of sporting director Dan Ashworth compounded back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.

Continue reading...

• Moroccan striker scores twice in emphatic 4-1 victory
• Athletic Bilbao and Eintracht Frankfurt win; Lazio draw

Philippe Clement again found sanctuary in Europe as Rangers romped to a remarkable 4-1 win over Nice in France.

Amid domestic struggles which have piled pressure on the Belgian boss, his side again came up with the goods this season in the Europa League.

Continue reading...

Ruben Amorim received a rapturous welcome from the Old Trafford faithful, then oversaw a helter-skelter victory in his first home game as Manchester United’s sixth No 1 of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Like his five predecessors across 11 years, Amorim suffered. Under Europa League lights that shone down on the 6,714 partying Bodø/Glimt supporters, this was a standard welcome to the Theatre of Thrills and Spills as his new team just about made it through to the win.

Continue reading...

Mats Hummels scored an injury-time equaliser for the visitors on a pulsating night in north London

Thank you to Mats Hummels for reminding me: this is a crucial game for Roma’s European hopes:

“This game is incredibly important for us,” he said. “It’s possibly our last chance if we want to finish in the top eight but we need points anyway to reach the next round and turn things around for our team and our club. It’s a very difficult game but it’s also a big chance. We’re playing a very strong team but we can show we’re able to play at a much higher level.”

Continue reading...

Two goals from Rasmus Hojlund helped Ruben Amorim secure his first win as Manchester United head coach

Kevin Wilson emails: “If Amorim can get Mount anywhere near his Chelsea prime, then that will be a huge bonus. He’s still young and despite a rough few years, he’s still very talented. Whether he works better as one of the deeper midfielders or in the front three remains to be seen, but if he can stay fit, he’ll give the manager options.”

Amorim: “I am really calm, I expect a good game, a good environment, I am feeling that belonging with the fans. I am expecting the team to show different things, we need to improve.”

Continue reading...