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EUROPA League

Manchester United’s return to greatness begins with Europa League, says Solskjaer

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will attempt to win his first trophy as Manchester United manager in Wednesday’s (May 26) Europa league final against Villarreal,   confident that victory could ignite another sustained run of success at Old Trafford.

The Norwegian, now 48, will forever be remembered for his late winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final, and Solskjaer is eager to further embed himself in the club’s rich history.

Having helped United secure successive top-four finishes for the first time since Alex Ferguson retired after the last of the club’s Premier League titles in 2013, Solskjaer hopes to now end their four-year wait for silverware in Gdansk.

“You always feel pressure to win things at Manchester United. Progress in the league shows progress. The next step is to win trophies and challenge in the Premier League as well,” he said.

“Winning a trophy can give you belief but it can make you hungry for more. When you win things you just want to win more, you want to feel that sensation again of lifting trophies.

“I know my players will believe they can win it and that we can move on to better things, but when you get that taste of the first one, that’s a big step in the right direction.”

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Solskjaer’s first four semi-finals as United boss ended in defeat, including a 2-1 loss to eventual champions Sevilla in last season’s remodelled Europa League.

United crashed out in the Champions League group stage this term despite winning three of their first four games, heaping pressure on Solskjaer as rumours swirled about a possible move for Mauricio Pochettino.

A return of 10 points from nine matches saw United off to their worst league start since 1986-87, but, remarkably, Solskjaer’s side became just the fourth to go through an English top-flight campaign undefeated away from home.

Since replacing Jose Mourinho in December 2018, United’s gradual improvement under Solskjaer has resulted in the club finishing sixth, third and, this season, second in the Premier League.

“We’ve worked together two and a half years now and taken a step into the final after the near-misses we’ve had. To get to a final is one thing, but when you get to a final you need to win it,” said Solskjaer.

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“Those nights when you win the trophy it brings everyone together, it’s a celebration.

“When we won in ’99 it didn’t make me a better player. It didn’t make us individually better players, but as a group we believed that we could go on to win more stuff and we comfortably won the league the next couple of seasons.”

Only three starters from the 2-0 win over Ajax in the 2017 final remain at the club – Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata – with United seeking to end their longest run without a trophy since the 1980s.

“This game’s important for us. We’re so close to being a team that can compete and win trophies every single season. Maybe winning this title, this Europa League, can give us that little push that we need,” said Rashford.

Solskjaer will give captain Harry Maguire until Tuesday’s final training session to prove his fitness, although the England defender is highly unlikely to play after damaging ankle ligaments two weeks ago.

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Another obstacle in United’s way is Unai Emery, a three-time Europa League champion with Sevilla who has overseen a 14-match unbeaten run in Europe with Villarreal to reach his fifth final.

All four previous meetings between United and Villarreal have finished goalless. A similar outcome is entirely plausible in Poland, but this time there will be a winner and loser regardless.

“It’s going to be special. You’ve got to be proud to be able to lead a Manchester United team out to a final,” said Solskjaer.

“It’s been a fantastic journey and, as we say in Norwegian, veien er malet (the goal is the journey). This is just a step on the road to bringing our Man United back.”

-AFP

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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EUROPA League

Ten Hag urges ‘mad’ Man United to take out frustration on Porto

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Europa League - Manchester United Press Conference - Estadio do Dragao, Porto, Portugal - October 2, 2024 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag during a press conference Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra 

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag called on his players to use the frustration from their humbling defeat by Tottenham Hotspur as motivation to beat Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.

Following the 3-0 home loss to Spurs on Sunday, Ten Hag admitted his team’s mood could have been more positive.

“We are mad, mad with ourselves, especially when you lose a game like Sunday… but you have to deal with it. We are mad, and from the madness we have to get motivation,” Ten Hag told reporters on Wednesday.

“Always, when we are not winning we are disappointed and we are also mad with ourselves.”

United are 13th in the Premier League table and following a 1-1 draw with Dutch side Twente Enschede in the first Europa League match, Ten Hag said speculation about his job was inevitable.

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“This club wants to be back on top and it’s a long-term target. We talk every day. Every day we evaluate and review the process and where necessary we make our decisions,” he said

“Everyone has to take responsibility and that starts with me as the manager. But on the pitch we have leadership skills and they have to stand up.

“Every game for us is important and every opponent is 100% motivated. We have to be ready to compete and fight with them.”

The Dutchman said midfielder Mason Mount, who was not part of the squad that travelled to Porto, was dealing with two injury issues and that defender Luke Shaw should return to action following the October international break.

-Reuters

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Man Utd take their domestic woes to  international scene

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Europa League - Manchester United v FC Twente - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - September 25, 2024 Manchester United's Diogo Dalot and Harry Maguire in action with FC Twente's Michel Vlap and Max Bruns Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Manchester United began their Europa League campaign with a 1-1 draw after they were held by FC Twente at a rainy Old Trafford on Wednesday, with a goal from Christian Eriksen being cancelled out by Dutch striker Sam Lammers.

The first half was a lively affair, with Twente’s Lammers making an early attempt that trickled past the post.

Eriksen put United ahead 10 minutes before the break, delivering a powerful curling shot into the top corner from inside the box.

Twente equalised in the 68th minute when Lammers produced a powerful finish past United keeper Andre Onana at the near post.

Joshua Zirkzee tried to get United in front again minutes later with a shot from an acute angle but were denied by a save from Twente keeper Lars Unnerstall.

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Bruno Fernandes came close to scoring for United in the final minutes with a curling shot toward the top corner, but the hosts struggled to break through Twente’s deep-lying defence, which seemed content to secure the away draw.

DIA DOUBLE FOR LAZIO

Boulaye Dia scored a double and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru added another in the first half to hand Lazio a comprehensive 3-0 win against Dynamo Kyiv in Hamburg.

Nice and Real Sociedad played out a 1-1 draw. Ander Barrenetxea put the Basque side ahead before Pablo Rosario scored the equaliser for Nice.

Elsewhere, Turkish champions Galatasaray claimed a 3-1 home win over Greece’s PAOK thanks to Abdul Rahman Baba’s own goal and strikes from Yunus Akgun and Mauro Icardi. Giannis Konstantelias scored for the visitors.

In an early match, Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt secured a 3-2 home victory against FC Porto thanks to a brace from Jens Petter Hauge, despite going down to 10 men in the 51st minute.

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-Reuters

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Ajax and Panathinaikos set UEFA record with 34 penalty kicks

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Ajax players cheer after winning the penalty shootout (13-12) during the 3rd qualifying round UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Panathinaikos at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on August 15, 2024 in Amsterdam. - Credit: Olaf Kraak / ANP -

It took Ajax 34 penalties to beat Panathinaikos 13-12 in a marathon shootout on Thursday, setting a UEFA competition record after their Europa League third qualifying round tie ended 1-1 over two legs and extra time.

Ajax, who won 1-0 at Panathinaikos last week, conceded in the 89th minute in Amsterdam, leading to the shootout that broke the previous record of 32 attempts at the European U-21 Championship semi-final in 2007 where Netherlands beat England 13-12.

The world record for the longest shootout was set in May when Israeli third-tier clubs SC Dimona and Shimshon Tel Aviv took 56 penalties to resolve their semi-final promotion playoff tie.

Ajax keeper Remko Pasveer made five saves and scored on his own attempt to help the hosts win the shootout as Dutch international Brian Brobbey missed two penalties.

“Five is quite a lot, yes. I save a penalty every now and then, but I don’t think you often experience something as crazy as this,” Pasveer said.

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“Every time I thought we would do it. Brobbey behind the ball, we will do it. But he missed, while he always scores during training.”

Defender Anton Gaaei ultimately delivered the winning penalty for Ajax. The Eredivisie club will now face Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok in the playoff round later this month.

-Reuters

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