EUROPA League
COPENHAGEN CAPTAIN, SILENT ADMIRER OF MAN UNITED THANKS SOLSKJAER FOR JOB WELL DONE
Manchester United had to fire full cylinder and depended on the lottery of penalty kick to overcome Copenhagen by a lone goal in Monday night Europa League quarter-final clash.
Then came the bizarre as manger Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appeared to have gained an unlikely fan in the person of Copenhagen captain, Zeca.
According to Daily Mail, after the full-time whistle in Cologne, Solskjaer was greeted by the Danish side’s skipper Zeca – who was keen to thank him for the work he had done at Old Trafford.
United clinched the quarter-final victory in extra time thanks to Bruno Fernandes‘ penalty, and despite Copenhagen being dumped out of the competition after a plucky display, their captain was quick to hold a bizarre conversation with the Norwegian.
Zeca shakes hands with Solskjaer and pats him on the back while saying: ‘Thank you very much for everything you have done in Manchester.’
Solskjaer walks with the 31-year-old towards the touchline and replies: ‘We’re trying to get it back.’ He then points to match-winner Fernandes alongside him and says: ‘He is [Fernandes] helping, this boy is helping.’
Still in a complimentary mood, Zeca responded: ‘Yeah, this guy is amazing. He’s amazing.’
Greek international Zeca, clearly a United enthusiast, has been with Copenhagen since 2017 and previously made 249 appearances for Panathinaikos in a six-year spell.
United fans will certainly be pleased with the job Solskjaer has done, with the team finishing third in the Premier League to secure Champions League football next season despite making their worst start to a season in 30 years.
The former Cardiff boss found himself under severe pressure after a string of poor results early on in the 19-20 campaign but inspired his players to a remarkable comeback.
He was able to get big performances out of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood and also guided his side to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
And after seeing off Copenhagen at the World-Cup style Europa League finals in Germany, United now face a semi-final against either Sevilla or fellow Premier League outfit Wolves.
Should they make their way past the winner of that tie, Solskjaer will have a chance to lift his first trophy with the club at the grand final on August 21.
Four-times Europa League winner Unai Emery booked an astonishing sixth final in the competition as a manager on Thursday when his Aston Villa team swept aside Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their all-English semi-final.
The 54-year-old Spaniard has won three times with Sevilla (2014, 2015, 2016) and once with Villarreal (2021) – either side of a defeat with Arsenal (2019) – deservedly earning him the epithet “Mr Europa League” from some fans and media.
Now he goes to the 2026 final seeking a fifth title, this time with Aston Villa against Bundesliga side Freiburg.
“His track record speaks for itself,” said Villa striker Ollie Watkins, heaping praise on his boss as the man to guarantee Europa League success. “We need to go and win it now.”
Emery was delighted with how his team overturned a 1-0 deficit to Forest in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final to score four times at home and win 4-1 on aggregate.
“Now we have to look to the final,” he said, hoping that Villa will do “something fantastic” for their fans.
Though thrilled at Thursday’s win, Emery left the pitch quickly after the final whistle, pumping his fist a few times at the crowd before letting his players enjoy the moment with fans
He and his Villa side will be favourites at the Europa League final in Istanbul on May 20, but Emery was taking nothing for granted. “Of course German teams are so difficult, their coaches, their players are so good,” he added of the upcoming opponents.
-Reuters
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List of teams which have qualified for the next round of the Europa League after the league phase concluded on Thursday, ranked by table position:
Directly to the round of 16:
1. Olympique Lyonnais (France)
2. Aston Villa (England)
3. Midtjylland (Denmark)
4. Real Betis (Spain)
5. Porto (Portugal)
6. Braga (Portugal)
7. Freiburg (Germany)
8. AS Roma (Italy)
Knockout phase play-off places (seeded)
9. Genk (Belgium)
10. Bologna (Italy)
11. VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
12. Ferencvaros (Hungary)
13. Nottingham Forest (England)
14. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
15. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
16. Celta Vigo (Spain)
Knockout phase play-off places (unseeded)
17. PAOK (Greece)
18. Lille (France)
19. Fenerbahce (Turkey)
20. Panathinaikos (Greece)
21. Celtic (Scotland)
22. Ludogorets (Bulgaria)
23. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
24. SK Brann (Norway)
-Reuters
UEFA Europa League – Aston Villa v RB Salzburg – Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain – January 29, 2026 Aston
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Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv will not accept any away fan tickets for their Europa League match at Aston Villa next month, even if local authorities reverse the decision to ban their supporters, they said on Monday.
The ban followed safety concerns raised by British Police, who cited potential protests outside Villa Park, following demonstrations at Israel’s recent World Cup qualifiers in Oslo and Udine.
“From hard lessons learned we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context,” Maccabi said in a statement.
“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
Aston Villa announced the decision last week, saying they were following instructions from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), who are responsible for issuing safety certificates for games at Villa Park.
West Midlands Police described the match as high risk, past incidents, including violent confrontations and hate crime offences involving Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters ahead of a November 2024 game in Amsterdam.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the announcement as “shameful”.
Villa are third in the Europa League standings while Maccabi Tel Aviv are 30th after two rounds.
-Reuters
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