Category: UEFA Europa League

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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• 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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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• Christopher Nkunku also on target in 2-0 win
• Hearts lose out in Belgium, TNS beaten at home

Chelsea moved to within one win of the Conference League last 16 with a 2-0 victory away to Heidenheim to maintain their perfect start in the competition.

Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk scored the goals in the second half, Jadon Sancho’s cut-back shortly after the interval finding the France international who fired in his 11th of the season, then Mudryk finished things late on with a lovely finish into the top corner.

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• Interim boss says he hasn’t heard from new manager
• ‘Let him focus on Braga’ says Van Nistelrooy

Ruud van Nistelrooy revealed he is yet to hear from Rúben Amorim regarding his future after Manchester United finally ended a wait of more than a year for a European win.

United’s victory over the Greek champions, Paok, at Old Trafford lifted them to 15th in the Europa League table with six points. Sunday’s visit of Leicester will be Van Nistelrooy’s fourth and final match as United’s interim manager. Whether he remains at the club under Amorim is yet to be determined, and after Thursday’s win the Dutchman said he had received no contact from the 39-year-old, who takes over on Monday after Sporting’s trip to Braga on Sunday.

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Hold on to your hat: Manchester United are victorious in Europe after three consecutive Europa League draws and three more games without winning in last season’s Champions League.

So a 380-day drought stretching to a 1-0 win over Copenhagen at Old Trafford ends courtesy of Amad Diallo, whose explosive wing play was crowned by his double. The first was a clever 50th-minute header. The second an exhibition of aggressiveness as he mugged Abdul Baba along the right, shrugged off the defender’s manhandling, then fired a shot into the left corner, via a deflection.

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• Philippe Clement’s side still in contention to progress
• Shamrock Rovers beat TNS in Conference League

Rangers’ hit-and-miss striker Cyriel Dessers redeemed himself against Olympiakos with a second-half equaliser in the 1-1 Europa League draw in Greece.

On a night when the Rangers captain, James Tavernier, was dropped to the bench, the visitors did lots of things right in the first half but Dessers, who regularly frustrates his own fans, spurned two good opportunities and there were other half-chances for the Scottish side.

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Victor Osimhen scored twice to help Galatasaray beat the 10 men of Tottenham

It is probably worth reading this from Ed Aarons on Victor Osimhen from a couple of months ago because everyone seems confused about how the striker ended up in Turkey.

Nick Ames is in Istanbul.

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Amad Diallo was the two-goal hero as United ended their 380-day wait for a win in Europe

2 min: … and so both teams begin their quest for a first win in this Europa League campaign. A quiet start on the pitch, but both sets of fans make their beautiful noise.

Manchester United get the ball rolling. They’re kicking towards the Stretford End during this first half.

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• Goalkeeper backs teammates to adapt to new tactics
• Van Nistelrooy yet to speak with new coach about future

André Onana has backed his Manchester United teammates to “step up” and adapt to Rúben Amorim’s style after watching Sporting defeat Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League. Amorim, who will arrive in England next week to replace Erik ten Hag, prefers a 3-4-3 formation and intense pressing, in contrast to United’s 4-2-3-1 under his predecessor.

“I did watch the game yesterday,” Onana said before United’s Europa League game at home to Paok. “Great victory from them [Sporting], by the way. Different system, but the players, my teammates, we are all pragmatic. I think everyone here is capable to play in each system, so I don’t think this will be any issue for us. We have big players, so they will step up.”

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Former United manager José Mourinho was sent to the stands during a topsy-turvy game that ended fairly with honours even

1 min: There is some proper bedlam going on at the Şükrü Saracoğlu. What a noise! Good luck thinking.

The hosts get the ball rolling. It’s exactly one year to the day since United’s last win in European competition, that 1-0 Champions League victory over Copenhagen at Old Trafford.

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