EUROPA League
FULL TIME: MAN UNITED 1-0 COPENHAGEN – EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL ACTION FROM GERMANY
Full-time: Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen
Manchester United have qualified for the Europa League semi-finals! Bruno Fernandes scored in extra-time from the penalty spot after relentless pressure from United. Credit to Copenhagen, who did not go down without a fight.
113mins: Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen
Jesse Lingard is coming on for Marcus Rashford. The winger appeared to be feeling his groin slightly in the last few minutes.
111mins: Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen
United look to be really comfortable seeing this match out. Bruno Fernandes almost slots Anthony Martial in but the pass it slightly over hit.
2ND HALF OF EXTRA TIME IS ON
106mins: Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen
Back underway for the final 15 minutes of action. United appear to be in the driving seat but a Copenhagen equaliser would see us head to a penalty shootout. 106
105mins: Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen
Manchester United almost get a second as Fernandes tests the goalkeeper once again. United really searching for that second goal.
104mins: Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen
Juan Mata can’t keep his first-time effort down after some more great play from Anthony Martial.
100mins: Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen
That was a special move from Anthony Martial. The forward takes it past several defenders and backheels the ball to Juan Mata, who can’t quite find the finish. Superb stuff from the Frenchman.
94mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
PENALTY TO MANCHESTER UNITED! After Anthony Martial misses and absolute sitter, he is then fouled moments later to win a penalty for United.
94mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
PENALTY TO MANCHESTER UNITED! After Anthony Martial misses and absolute sitter, he is then fouled moments later to win a penalty for United.
Mata on
Juan Mata is on for the extra period, replacing Mason Greenwood as we get extra time off to a start.
91mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
Manchester United kick us off in extra-time as they try and find that moment of magic. Juan Mata has come on for Mason Greenwood.
Full-time: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
Extra-time it is. Who would have thought this before kick-off? United hit the woodwork, had penalty appeals, twp goals rules out by VAR but need an extra 30 minutes to try and break down Copenhagen.
90mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
Aaron Wan Bissaka flashes the ball across the goalmouth but no-one in Red is there to tap it in. Extra-time is looking like a real possibility.
87mins:A bit of room opens up for Fernandes but he takes too long and his strike is blocked.
This now looks more like we’re going to be heading into extra time unless someone can conjure up something in the dying minutes.
85mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
HUGE CHANCE! Anthony Martial fires a curling effort towards the top right corner but his shot is stopped by a terrific save!
Falk hares down the right and cuts inside. He schools Williams with a clever backheel and hits the deck.
The referee was right in line and waves his finger, and VAR agree – no penalty.
82mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
Big penalty call for Copenhagen! Varela cuts inside of Brandon Williams and it looked like he was tripped by check is over
77mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
This game starting to look really stretched now.
The heat must be sapping the energy of both teams.
Subs could prove crucial as gaps begin to appear, but who will make it count?
The Danes still looking dangerous with just over 15 minutes left. Rasmus Falk has been the key to Copenhagen’s creativity in attack and former Sunderland man Bryan Oviedo has his shot blocked.
71mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
Fred comes off for Nemanja Matic and Eric Bailly makes way for Victor Lindelof.
SAVE!
70min:Johnsson denies Fernandes this time as he pushes the dipping shot into the air.
Pogba gets a crack soon after but the keeper is down to save.
There simply has to be a good soon, surely…
69mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
CHANCE! Bruno Ferandes somehow shoots with more venom than last time as he tests the goalkeeper. This match is really end-to-end now.
67mins:Copenhagen work their way in – a chance to score here.
It falls to ex-Everton man Brian Oviedo whose only just come off the bench, but Bailly again turns saviour with a last-ditch block.
This game is hanging on a knife edge.
66mins:Bailly is next to go in the book as he thwarts a Copenhagen breakaway. Looked soft but United now have both centre-backs on a yellow.
65mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
UNITED HIT THE POST AGAIN! Bruno Fernandes lets a wicked strike go from range and it somehow stays out! Is it going to be one of those nights for Solskjaer’s side?
62mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
CHANCE! Marcus Rashford should have done better as he found himself one-on-one but could not connect with Fernandes’ cross. Copenhagen counter attack but can’t test Sergio Romero.
57mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
A second offside goal for Manchester United! Mason Greenwood flashes a strike against the post and Marcus Rashford pounces on the rebound but was offside. Painful for United.
55mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
United are really pushing for the opener. Anthony Martial almost wriggles free inside the box, minutes later Bruno Fernandes is almost found one-on-one and Fred tried his luck from the edge of the box shortly after.
Half-time scores
Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
Inter Milan 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen
VAR overrules
Greenwood has the ball in the back of the net but it’s disallowed by VAR.
The youngster had raced in behind the defence before striking the ball off their foot of the far post and in.
But he had edged slightly offside in the build-up and it’s rightly overturned.
GOOOAAL!!!!!
45mins: Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen
GOAL! Mason Greenwood scores for United! His 18th of the season. He pulls away from the defence and brilliantly uses the inside of the post to put it in the back of the net.
44TH MIN. United are pushing to try and break down Copenhagen’s structured defence. Anthony Martial almost scores from close range and Marcus Rashford fizzes and effort at goal just moments later. Just a few minutes left before the break.
34TH MIN STILL 0-0
Corner for United. Greenwood cuts in and hits one but it cannons off the head of a Copenhagen defender.
Fernandes swings it in but it’s headed clear again without challenge from a red shirt.
Fred launches the ball back in with Rashford chasing but he can’t quite get there.
United have shaken off those early cobwebs it seems.
31mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
A great cross from Marcus Rashford almost finds Anthony Martial who is stretching. They have to get their front three on the ball more.
Penalty?
The referee looked to have pointed to the spot there as United came close to scoring.
Maguire helped the ball back across goal and Greenwood went down in the box.
Fernandes was following in behind and his header was tipped over by the keeper.
And despite the confusion the official actually gives Copenhagen a free-kick for an earlier offside.
17mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
Manchester United meanwhile are somehow still drawing! Copenhagen had another golden chance as a mistake at the back let in Mohamed Daramy. Some last ditch defending is enough but this has not been a good start from Solskjaer’s side.
14mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
CHANCE! Copenhagen almost take a shock lead as the ball finds Mohamed Daramy a few yards out but he messes up his lines for a simple tap-in. A huge warning sign for United. Meanwhile, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is down with an injury.
3mins: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
The Danes get off to a fast start with some good possession around United’s box. However, they deal with the pressure and look to get more settled in the opening moments. United win a corner.
Kick-off: Manchester United 0-0 Copenhagen
Manchester United get us underway.
Manchester United are about facing Copenhagen in one of the quarter final matches of the Europa League hoping to repeat their victory of the competition three seasons ago,
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side breezed past LASK in the last round with a 7-1 victory on aggregate. The Red Devils are heavy favourites to make it to the final four, as they face a Copenhagen side who knocked out Turkish Superlig champions Istanbul Basaksehir in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, two potential favourites to win the Europa League battle it out as Inter Milan face Bayer Leverkusen. The Serie A side are in red hot form losing just one of their last 15 competitive matches whilst Leverkusen comfortably beat Rangers to earn their place in the final eight.
Here are the starting line-ups…
Man United XI: Romero, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Bailly, Williams, Fred, Pogba, Fernandes, Martial, Greenwood, Rashford.
Subs: De Gea, Fosu-Mensah, Lindelof, Mengi, Andreas, James, Lingard, Mata, Matic, McTonimay, Chong, Ighalo.
Copenhagen XI: Johnsson, Varela, Nelsson, Bjelland, Boilesen, Zeca, Stage, Biel, Wind, Falk, Daramy.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim defended under-fire goalkeeper Andre Onana following the Cameroonian’s costly mistakes in his side’s 2-2 draw at Olympique Lyonnais in their Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday.
Onana allowed Thiago Almada’s free kick to squirm past him in the Groupama Stadium and was also at fault for Rayan Cherki’s last-gasp equaliser that denied United victory.
Since the start of last season, no Premier League club’s goalkeeper has made more errors leading to goals being conceded in all competitions than Onana.
“It can happen, if you play football, you play a lot of games, you can make mistakes,” Amorim said. “If you look at the season, I make more mistakes than them during these last games and these last months.
“The other thing is we have one more game to change everything and that should be our focus.
“The best thing is to look at the goals, all the actions that Andre had in the game, this is the best way to help any player, it’s to focus on the game, what happened, what we need to improve.”
United nonetheless remain unbeaten in this season’s Europa League — the only side to do so this term — after goals from Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee put them on course for a potential victory.
The team, who are 13th in the English Premier League standings, still go into next week’s second leg in Manchester as favourites to book a spot in the last four.
“It was an entertaining game,” Amorim added. “We had some difficulty in the first half trying to press, because Lyon played in a different way. Then, in the middle of the first half and especially the second, we controlled the game.
“The second leg will be a different game. At home, our fans want us to press all the time.”
-Reuters
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Manchester United will be without defender Harry Maguire and midfielder Manuel Ugarte for Thursday’s Europa League last-16 clash with Real Sociedad, coach Ruben Amorim said, as he seeks to salvage an otherwise dire season.
The pair were left out of an already depleted squad after picking up injuries in last weekend’s penalty shootout defeat to Fulham that dumped them out of the FA Cup to compound the misery of lying 14th in the Premier League.
“We are being careful with them because at the moment we cannot afford to lose any more players for a long time,” Amorim told a press conference on Wednesday before the Europa League first leg game in Spain.
“We are taking care of them at Carrington (training ground) and they cannot play this game because it will be a greater risk.”
The coach, who joined United in November, stressed the importance of balancing youth development with the needs of the squad during a worsening injury crisis.
“I’m trying to cope with everything. When I do my squad, I’m trying to think about every aspect, of the formation of the (new) kids, of the squad and not if it will look really well with the fans and the media,” Amorim said.
Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton, Jonny Evans, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount remain on individual rehabilitation programmes.
Lisandro Martinez, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament, and Amad Diallo, who suffered an ankle ligament injury in training, are also sidelined.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes scored a last-gasp winner to secure a 2-1 victory over Rangers in the Europa League group stage on Thursday and Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min struck twice in his team’s 3-2 win at Hoffenheim.
United climbed to fourth in the standings on 15 points going into the last round of matches, in a strong position to reach the knockout phase along with Spurs who are sixth with 14 points.
The English side broke the deadlock early in the second half when Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland misjudged a Christian Eriksen corner, sending the ball into his own net.
Rangers fought back with an equaliser from substitute Cyril Dessers two minutes from time before Fernandes struck in added time to give United all three points.
In Germany, James Maddison opened the scoring for Spurs in the third minute and Son doubled the lead in a first half the visitors dominated.
Hoffenheim pulled one back in the 68th minute through Anton Stach’s counter-attack goal. Son restored Spurs’ two-goal lead in the 77th minute before the hosts’ David Mokwa scored to give his side late hope but the game ended in a narrow win for the English side.
Lazio stayed top of the standings with a commanding 3-1 home victory over Real Sociedad to become the first team to qualify for the round of 16.
Mario Gila struck after five minutes and when Sociedad’s Aihen Munoz was shown a second yellow card on the half-hour mark, Lazio immediately seized the advantage.
Mattia Zaccagni quickly doubled the lead and Taty Castellanos effectively ended the match with a third for the hosts. Ander Barrenetxea scored a late consolation goal for Sociedad.
Eintracht Frankfurt moved closer to securing a top-eight spot with a 2-0 home win over Hungarian side Ferencvaros thanks to second-half goals from Can Uzun and Hugo Ekitike. They are second in the standings with 16 points, three ahead of ninth-placed Galatasaray.
A late goal from Troy Parrott gave AZ Alkmaar a 1-0 home win over AS Roma and Olympiacos earned a 1-0 victory at Porto thanks to a late goal from Ayoub El Kaabi.
Dutch side Alkmaar can still reach the top eight with 11 points sitting in 14th place while Roma’s nine points place them 21st, close to the bottom of the playoff section.
Fenerbahce and Olympique Lyonnais played out an intense goalless draw in Istanbul, leaving the French side in a strong position to progress to fifth place in the group on 14 points.
-Reuters
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