Category: UEFA Europa League

• Spurs won in Germany to reach Europa League semis
• Goalkeeper admits team have ‘suffered a lot this season’

Guglielmo Vicario believes Tottenham showed their true colours as they progressed to the Europa League semi-finals and admitted they had “suffered a lot” during an otherwise disappointing season.

A first clean sheet since the 16 February 1-0 win against Manchester United, who Spurs could meet in next month’s final if they beat Athletic Bilbao, helped overcome Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on aggregate thanks to Dominic Solanke’s penalty. Ange Postecoglou’s side face the Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt as Spurs attempt to make up for an underwhelming Premier League campaign by claiming their first trophy since 2008.

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• ‘I was watching the 1999 documentary … A great night’
• United score three goals in extra time to progress in Europa League

After Manchester United scored three times in the last seven minutes of extra time to knock Lyon out and progress to a Europa League semi-final versus Athletic Bilbao, Ruben Amorim stated he had drawn on the 1999 Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich.

Losing 1-0 going into added time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær claimed European glory for United 26 years ago.

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Manchester United unveiled a giant tifo that declared “Never Gonna Stop”, then did precisely this by knocking out 10-man Lyon in an electrifying end to extra time that ranks second in the club’s pantheon of late, late continental finishes.

For those here the drama of minutes 114-120 (+34 seconds) will never be forgotten. At this juncture United had gone 4-2 down to a Rayan Cherki strike and an Alexandre Lacazette penalty (on 104 and 109 minutes) that had the French side leading 6-4 on aggregate and apparently dumping Ruben Amorim’s men out of Europe.

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United looked like exiting the Europa League meekly before pulling off one of the great comebacks

2 min: A little smoke from the pre-match pyro party still floating about. A couple of early touches for Onana. Casemiro has the opportunity to send Dorgu into space down the left but overcooks the pass and clanks it out for a throw.

A blast of John Denver, then Lyon get the ball rolling, with the aggregate score 2-2 after the first leg. The hosts are kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half.

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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:

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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.

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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.

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• Manager in spiky mood before visit of Frankfurt
• Claims critics ‘turn gold into crap when it’s Tottenham’

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.

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• Onana said Manchester United were ‘way better’ side
• Keeper bites back that Matic won nothing with United

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.

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• Banner appeared during victory over Fenerbahce
• Club expecting ‘significant sanctions’ from Uefa

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.”

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• Spurs face Eintracht Frankfurt in last eight
• ‘We’re a good team, the belief is definitely there’

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.

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• ‘It’s not nice to hear certain things,’ says United captain
• Fernandes responds after co-owner’s critical interviews

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.

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• United in Europa League last eight after beating Sociedad
• ‘We need to help him win titles because he deserves this’

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.

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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.

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• Athletic Club earn 4-3 aggregate win over 10-man Roma
• Lazio and Bodø/Glimt progress as Frankfurt rout Ajax

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.

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