EUROPA League
Man United edge past Bodo/Glimt to give Amorim first win
Manchester United came from behind to beat Bodo/Glimt 3-2 in the Europa League on Thursday and secure their first victory under new manager Ruben Amorim.
United went ahead inside the first minute thanks to a howler from keeper Nikita Haikin, who failed to deal with a back pass and under pressure from Rasmus Hojlund the ball broke free for Alejandro Garnacho to tap in from close range.
The Norwegians scored twice with quick breaks, Hakon Evjen hitting a superb strike into the top corner in the 19th minute and Philip Zinckernagel holding off Tyrell Malacia before beating keeper Andre Onana to stun the Old Trafford crowd.
United equalised just before the break when Noussair Mazraoui’s pass into the area picked out Hojlund who controlled the ball with his first touch before getting a shot away between two defenders into the far corner.
Amorim’s side went ahead five minutes after the break when Manuel Ugarte’s low pass across the area was guided into the net by Hojlund shortly after Mason Mount had hit the crossbar.
United could not find another goal, however, and needed two good saves from Onana to secure the three points which lifted them to 12th in the standings on nine points, ahead of Bodo/Glimt on seven.
“Of course, I see what everybody sees, good moments, difficult moments,” Amorim told TNT Sports.
“There was some confusion in the end trying to hold the result, but the lads did a great job. They ran, they pressed, they tried to do the things we have worked on in the last three days and we won.
Amorim’s first game in charge was a 1-1 draw in the Premier League against Ipswich Town on Sunday.
“Half of the stadium doesn’t know me, I came from Portugal and I did nothing for this club. Yet the way they make me feel at home is special,” he said.
“I will keep this to the end of my career.”
Amorim described the game as a roller-coaster.
“Like a real ride. We started well, but then suffered two goals in two transitions. I like the way the players tried to play our game,” he said.
“Sometimes we won the ball and have had problems in the past giving the ball away too much – the mindset is keeping the ball. They are really trying and I think we deserved the win.”
-Reuters
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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