EUROPA League
FROM HERO TO ZERO! LUKALU’S OWN GOAL MAKES SEVILLA SIX TIME EUROPA CUP CHAMPIONS
Sevilla won their sixth Europa League crown as Romelu Lukaku went from hero to villain in a thrilling Europa League final in Cologne..
The former Manchester United striker, who had opened the scoring with his 34th goal of a magnificent individual campaign, unwittingly turned into his own net in the 74th minute to hand Julen Lopetegui’s men a 3-2 victory.
Both sides had been rock solid defensively en route to the final – the only goal conceded by the pair in Germany coming from the penalty spot – before this encounter.
But there were fireworks from the off, on a night where Sevilla were once more the last team standing in what is very much their competition.
It took just four minutes for Antonio Conte’s side – having put five past Shakhtar Donetsk in their semi-final – opened the scoring.
Unsurprisingly, it was Lukaku who did the honours, firing home from the penalty spot after being brought down by Diego Carlos after racing through; Carlos was fortunate only to be booked after making no attempt to play the ball.
Ominously for Sevilla, Inter hadn’t conceded in their last seven outings, but within eight minutes Los Nervionenses were level, as Luuk de Jong – in from the start after his semi-final winner – headed home Jesus Navas’ fine cross.
A fine header from De Jong – who played 12 games on loan at Newcastle without scoring earlier in his career – put Sevilla in front after 33 minutes, only for wily veteran Diego Godin to equalise two minutes later, powering home Marcelo Brozovic’s excellent delivery.
Ten minutes later Carlos and Lukaku were involved at the other end, in the game’s deciding act.
Inter failed to clear their lines at a freekick, and as the ball shot up into the air, Carlos positioned himself, leapt and unleashed an overhead kick.
It was heading just wide of Samir Handanovic’s left-hand post, but Lukaku’s attempt to clear saw him unwittingly divert it into the roof of the net.
Alexis Sanchez almost levelled late on for Inter, only to see his effort cleared off the line as Sevilla held on to take hold of their trophy once more and continue Spain’s dominance of European finals – they’ve won all 15 between Spanish and non-Spanish sides since 2001.
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Crystal Palace’s appeal against UEFA’s decision to drop them from the Europa League to the third-tier Conference League was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday.
UEFA demoted Palace while allowing Olympique Lyonnais to play in the Europa League as, at the time of assessment on March 1, the Eagle Football Group were majority owners of Lyon while their chairman, John Textor, owned a controlling stake in Palace.
Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, will replace Palace in the Europa League.
“After considering the evidence, the panel found that John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, had shares in CPFC and OL and was a board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA’s assessment date,” the CAS said in a statement.
“The panel also dismissed the argument by CPFC that they received unfair treatment in comparison to Nottingham Forest and OL.”
Palace did not respond to a request for comment. Club chairman Steve Parish told reporters on Sunday that if Palace lost the appeal, they would “have to look if there’s any steps after that.”
The club, who qualified for the Europa League as FA Cup winners, appealed against UEFA’s decision last month.
The appeal came days before New York Jets co-owner Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson completed the purchase of Eagle Football Holdings’ stake in Palace.
Textor has also resigned from Lyon’s board of directors with Michele Kang appointed chairwoman and president.
As both Lyon and Palace had qualified for the Europa League, the French club were allowed to keep their place because they had finished higher in their respective league. Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1 while Palace were 12th in the Premier League.
“Olympique Lyonnais welcomes today’s decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirming its participation in the Europa League,” Lyon said in a statement.
Palace, who won the Community Shield on Sunday , beating Liverpool in a penalty shootout, are set to play in the Conference League’s qualifying playoff round later this month.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
UEFA has decided to postpone its assessment of the multi-club ownership case involving Olympique Lyonnais and Crystal Palace until the French club’s relegation has been confirmed, European football’s governing body said on Monday.
The multi-club ownership regulations do not allow clubs under the same ownership compete in the same European competition, and American businessman John Textor holds a stake in both Palace and Lyon.
Palace qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup last season while Lyon reached the competition by finishing sixth in Ligue 1 but have since been relegated to Ligue 2 by French football’s financial watchdog (DNCG).
Lyon are appealing the decision, which came following an audit of the club’s finances, and UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body will now await the outcome of the appeal before making its decision.
UEFA and Lyon reached a settlement agreement over the club’s breach of the financial sustainability requirements, and as part of the settlement, Lyon agreed to their exclusion from European competition should the DNCG confirm their relegation.
League of Ireland club Drogheda United lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this month over their exclusion from the Conference League, after falling foul of the multi-club ownership rules.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- FIFA RANKING1 week ago
Nigeria Jumps Four Places in New FIFA Rankings; Stirs Optimism in Local Football Circles
- Athletics3 days ago
Nigeria to Host First-Ever Africa Running Conference in Lagos
- CAF Champions League6 days ago
Remo Stars Host Mamelodi Sundowns in Crucial CAF Champions League Showdown
- Nigerian Football6 days ago
Jay-Jay Okocha Call Turns NPFL Boss to Instant Celebrity in Madrid
- Nigerian Football3 days ago
Tiger Street Football Tournament Heads for Grand Finale in Awka After Electrifying Weekend
- CAF Champions League7 days ago
Two Decades After Their Defeat, Mamelodi Sundowns Return to Abeokuta
- CAF Champions League6 days ago
Black Bulls Edge Rivers United 1–0 in CAF Champions League Clash
- World Cup1 week ago
Four Matches, Five Months, One Dream: Nigeria’s Grueling Route to the 2026 World Cup