EUROPA League
Antony completes comeback as Manchester United oust Barca to reach last 16
Antony was the hero as Manchester United progressed to the Europa League last 16 thanks to a 2-1 win over Barcelona at Old Trafford that secured a 4-3 aggregate success.
Robert Lewandowski put the Blaugrana ahead with an 18th-minute penalty following a pulsating 2-2 draw at Camp Nou last week.
But Fred equalised early in the second half, before substitute Antony completed the turnaround for Erik ten Hag’s side 17 minutes from time.
The Red Devils held on for their first victory over Barca since the narrow 1-0 win in the Champions League semi-final second leg in April 2008.
Antony was the hero as Manchester United progressed to the Europa League last 16 thanks to a 2-1 win over Barcelona at Old Trafford that secured a 4-3 aggregate success.
Robert Lewandowski put the Blaugrana ahead with an 18th-minute penalty following a pulsating 2-2 draw at Camp Nou last week.
But Fred equalised early in the second half, before substitute Antony completed the turnaround for Erik ten Hag’s side 17 minutes from time.
The Red Devils held on for their first victory over Barca since the narrow 1-0 win in the Champions League semi-final second leg in April 2008.
Casemiro released Bruno Fernandes in the third minute for the latter to test Marc-Andre ter Stegen during a bright start for United.
But having almost been the hero at one end, Fernandes became the villain at the other when he hauled down Alejandro Balde in the penalty area, Lewandowski converting the subsequent spot-kick despite David de Gea’s best efforts.
The United goalkeeper almost gifted Barca a second before half-time, his loose pass intercepted by Sergi Roberto, but Casemiro made vital blocks to deny him and Franck Kessie.
The hosts capitalised on their good fortune within two minutes of the restart, Fernandes feeding Fred, who drilled a low shot beyond Ter Stegen’s dive.
United carried the greater threat but were almost caught by a sucker punch, with De Gea showcasing wonderful reflexes to tip away Jules Kounde’s header.
Nevertheless, Ten Hag’s side deservedly completed the comeback.
The ball ricocheted to Antony, who neatly guided into the bottom-left corner, and a late Raphael Varane block to deny Lewandowski ensured the Brazilian’s strike was decisive.
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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