UEFA Europa League News
Tottenham played well, created chances, tested the keeper and speckled the woodwork but could not beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League
4 mins: A pretty wild first few minutes, but Spurs have sensibly slowed the pace down with a long spell of not-very-adventurous possession.
2 mins: Chelsea have already wrapped up a handy away win in the first leg of their Conference League quarter-final. Here’s a report:
Continue reading...André Onana was at fault for both Lyon goals as Rayan Cherki’s stoppage-time strike cancelled out what looked to be a late winner from Joshua Zirkzee
It sounds like a number of Man Utd supporters are struggling to make it to the ground in time for kick-off. I’m sure we’ll hear more about that after the game.
Lyon will be missing their young wingers Ernest Nuamah and Malick Fofana when they host Manchester United on Thursday, which is a huge blow given their penchant for attacking down the flanks. The good news for Paulo Fonseca is that he will be able to call upon Rayan Cherki and Thiago Almada to carry out the attacking duties either side of Corentin Tolisso, with Georges Mikautadze leading the line.
Continue reading...Lyon’s manager reflects on his nine-month domestic ban for confronting a referee and his Europa League hopes against Manchester United
“This kind of motivation can make miracles,” says Paulo Fonseca as he describes the glint in his Lyon players’ eyes before the visit of Manchester United. It is a clash of two giants who have lost their way – although something, at least, is stirring in France’s second city. They have won eight of their 11 games since Fonseca’s arrival less than two and a half months ago and that tells only part of a story with little precedent.
The Europa League quarter‑final first leg on Thursday will be a rare opportunity for Fonseca to do what he enjoys best: manage his team from the technical area, cajoling and tweaking from the sidelines. Early in March he was given a nine-month ban from domestic games for aggressively confronting the referee Benoît Millot towards the end of a win against Brest. He is barred from the dugout and from communicating with his bench until 30 November, but will be allowed access to the dressing rooms and tunnel area from 15 September. Recent Ligue 1 matches have been taken in from the press box. Uefa-run fixtures offer relief and he is still getting his head around a suspension with a duration which could have jeopardised his career.
Continue reading...Ange Postecoglou has said the media believes he will be sacked even if Tottenham rescue their season by winning the Europa League.
The manager, who accused critics of always trying to “turn gold into crap”, was in spiky mood before his side hosts the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt and has clearly taken note of the talk over his future. Postecoglou has talked about ignoring external noise but he responded to a question about wanting to prove people wrong by picking out a reporter who wrote that success in Europe would not save the Australian’s job.
Continue reading...Nemanja Matic has described André Onana as one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history after the Cameroonian claimed his team were far better than Lyon.
In an escalating row before the players face one another in the Europa League quarter-final opening leg at Lyon on Thursday, Onana responded by pointing out that Matic had won nothing as a United player from 2017 to 2022.
Continue reading...Rangers have described the behaviour of a minority of their fans as “embarrassing” after being charged by Uefa over incidents during last week’s Europa League last-16 victory over Fenerbahce at Ibrox.
Rangers confirmed on Wednesday that they faced significant sanctions after what Uefa described as a “racist and/or discriminatory banner” was unveiled by a group of fans. The banner read: “Keep woke foreign ideologies out. Defend Europe.”
Continue reading...James Maddison believes Tottenham are real contenders to win the Europa League and is hoping their victory over AZ Alkmaar can be the catalyst for Ange Postecoglou’s side to make it a “special season”.
Spurs overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg with a stirring 3-1 home victory over the Dutch side on Thursday to set up a quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt next month. Maddison was instrumental in the move that created Wilson Odobert’s winning goal, having earlier scored his 11th of the season to make it 2-0.
Continue reading...Bruno Fernandes has aimed a barb at Sir Jim Ratcliffe by stating no player wants to be told they are “not good enough or overpaid”, as Manchester United’s co-owner said this week regarding some of Ruben Amorim’s squad.
The captain was speaking after his hat-trick in Thursday’s Europa League last-16 second leg 4-1 win over Real Sociedad that sealed United’s passage to a quarter-final against Lyon.
Continue reading...Ruben Amorim praised Bruno Fernandes’s hat-trick performance that swept Real Sociedad aside and took Manchester United into the Europa League quarter-finals, saying his side “needs to win titles” for the captain.
After Mikel Oyarzabal struck first via an early penalty, United dominated, Fernandes scoring two from the spot on 16 and 50 minutes, before a superb late strike to complete the hat-trick. Diogo Dalot’s added-time fourth sealed progress.
Continue reading...Manchester United’s trophy hopes live to fight on against Lyon in the Europa League quarter-final after a swaggering display that battered Real Sociedad and must be the Ruben Amorim blueprint.
From the moment they fell behind early on, his side was electrified, as if finally locating the high-voltage socket under Amorim and gleefully plugging themselves in. United came at Sociedad relentlessly, a whir of energy and creativity that is the best advertisement yet for where their head coach might take them.
Continue reading...Nico Williams scored twice as Athletic Club advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals with a 3-1 second-leg win over 10-man Roma on Thursday and Lazio progressed after a 1-1 home draw with Viktoria Plzen. Lazio will face Bodø/Glimt in the last eight after the Norwegian club continued their impressive European adventure despite losing 2-1 at Olympiakos, while Eintracht Frankfurt had little trouble finishing off Ajax with a 4-1 win.
Roma, 2-1 up from the first leg, were down to 10 men in the 11th minute after Mats Hummels saw red for taking down Maroan Sannadi who had intercepted his sloppy pass and Williams levelled the tie on aggregate in added time before the break. His shot took a deflection off Roma’s Angeliño before finding the net and Athletic went ahead on aggregate with 22 minutes left when Yuri Berchiche headed in from a corner.
Continue reading...Spurs made it through to the Europa League quarters … as did Rangers after some late Ibrox drama
Chelsea make five changes to the team that started in Denmark last week. Filip Jørgensen replaces Robert Sánchez in goal, while Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernández, Jadon Sancho and Joshua Acheampong also step up. Sánchez drops to the bench, as do Shumaira Mheuka, Cole Palmer and Reece James, the latter pair having been ill all week. Malo Gusto misses out altogether through injury.
Copenhagen make two changes from that game. Mohamed Elyounoussi, once of Southampton, and Rodrigo Huecas come in, while Giorgi Gocholeishvili and Amin Chiakha are benched.
Continue reading...A terrific performance from United, who came from behind to wallop Sociedad with Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat-trick
It’s big night tonight for Højlund. He’s improved a bit in the last couple of games – he’s getting chances and missing them, rather than disappearing – and has done well in Europe since joining United. I think Amorim has him pegged, as it goes:
“We have to look at Rasmus as a player – he has the pace, he has the technique, he’s scored some goals that are really hard to score. Sometimes he doesn’t choose the better run, sometimes he’s so anxious to touch the ball and he moves away from the goal. We address that in training but sometimes it is the confidence of the player.”
Continue reading...Ange Postecoglou believes pressure can bring the best out of his Tottenham team ahead of their second leg with AZ
When Ange Postecoglou does not like a question, usually from a broadcast journalist, he lets them know in pretty short order, latent hostility to the fore. The one he fielded on Wednesday was always coming.
Tottenham’s season will be on the line on Thursday night when they face AZ Alkmaar at home in the second leg of the Europa League last 16, trailing 1-0 from the first. And after the season Spurs have had, Postecoglou’s second at the club, it is plain that he could really do with a result. So, Ange, win or bust for the season and also for you and your project. How do you feel about that?
Continue reading...Joshua Zirkzee opened the scoring but Mikel Oyarzabal levelled from the spot in San Sebastian
6 min: A free kick for Sociedad out on the right. Kubo curls it in. Dalot heads half-clear. Barrenetxea returns the ball into the mixer from the left. Too long. Kubo tries again from the other side. He can neither get a cross in nor a shot away. United finally clear their lines.
4 min: Garnacho has started the game on the right. Hojlund fills in on the left with a direct dribble and low cross that’s easily cleared, but the run offers United some early hope.
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