EUROPA League
Erik ten Hag blasts shambolic Manchester United
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has slammed his players for lacking passion and that the manner of their Europa League quarter-final exit was “unacceptable”, following a 3-0 loss at Sevilla on Thursday.
Youssef En Nesyri scored twice at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium as the home side, who are struggling in 13th in the Spanish La Liga, cast aside their domestic struggles to go through 5-2 on aggregate.
United put in a listless and error-strewn performance, with goalkeeper David de Gea and defender Harry Maguire culpable for a couple of Sevilla’s goals.
Asked if Sevilla displayed more fight than his side, ten Hag said: “I have to acknowledge, it’s the truth. It’s hard, it’s tough, but it’s the truth.
“Tonight we weren’t good enough, that was obvious, that was clear.”
The Dutchman added that his side simply had to show more desire and more composure on the ball, which they failed to do so.
“When you get a setback, you have to deal with it, and carry on… It’s not about playing skills, it’s about character. So be composed and have desire and passion,” he said.
“Sevilla had more willingness to win. I think that’s unacceptable.”
The home fans created a raucous atmosphere even before kick-off, which set the tone for the game.
Once En Nesyri scored after seven minutes following a Maguire error, the visitors never looked like getting back into the game.
Loic Bade headed home early in the second half and En Nesyri added another after de Gea failed to clear the ball.
Despite Sevilla’s struggles in La Liga, in which they are still not safe from the threat of relegation, the Andalusians outfought and outplayed United, who are third in the Premier League.
The Red Devils failed to trouble Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou all night, with a Casemiro effort from distance as close as they came.
Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar said his side followed the game plan and did not allow United to get a foothold in the game.
“Our idea was to press them when they had the ball at the back, I think it went quite well, we scored the first goal robbing the ball on the edge of their box,” he said.
“I think we were superior and I think it was the merit of our players.”
The Spaniards will take on Juventus in the semi-finals, while the other last-four clash will see Roma face Bayer Leverkusen.
United were missing their first-choice centre-back pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane due to injury, which led to Maguire – who has been out of favour all season – being paired alongside Victor Lindelof.
Maguire is suspended for this Sunday’s FA Cup semi-finals against Brighton & Hove Albion, and some fans may feel that is a positive because of his defensive calamities.
But left-back Luke Shaw, who will supposedly partner Lindelof at Wembley, is also a concern after being rushed back from injury in the second half and again suffering a knock.
–Reuters/AFP
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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