Category: UEFA Europa League

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.”

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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?

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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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• Mourinho states he is not looking to leave Fenerbahce
• Takes aim at sacked Clement before Europa League tie

José Mourinho has not ruled out managing Rangers or Celtic. The Fenerbahce head coach is preparing for Thursday’s Europa League last-16 first leg in Istanbul against Rangers, who have Barry Ferguson in interim charge after the sacking of Philippe Clement.

Mourinho, whose Porto side beat Celtic after extra time in the 2003 Uefa Cup final to secure his first European trophy, took some of his coaching badges in Ayrshire in the 1990s. Asked whether coaching in Glasgow appealed to him, he said: “In this moment, no, because I have a job that motivates me and a job that demands loyalty. But why not in the future? People can say that the Scottish League is a league of two teams, but it’s a league of passion.

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• 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.

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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.

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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.

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• 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.

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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.

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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.

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• 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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