Author: Soorya G
After a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, English giants Manchester United were eliminated from the Europa League against the Spanish side, who took a step closer to their seventh league triumph after a resounding 5-2 aggregate win. Manchester squandered a two-goal lead in the first leg during the final minutes at the Theatre Of Dreams, but Erik ten Hag’s side completely disintegrated in Sevilla as they said goodbye to their hopes of winning the European title this season.
The poor performance was sparked by an early mistake by England defender Harry Maguire, who allowed Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri to score Sevilla’s first goal in the seventh minute. The situation only got worse seconds later, when Loic Bade’s header hit the back of the net after hitting the post. United’s night would only get worse as En-Nesyri added a second goal to his name, making the aggregate score 5-2. The only noteworthy performance from United’s point of view came from Brazilian Casemiro, who tried to hold the team together in midfield, but didn’t get the support of his teammates, with Marcel Sabitzer putting in a poor display.
Sevilla’s brilliant display ensured that Manchester United went out of European competition against a Spanish team for the sixth year in a row, a dubious record that was started by the Rojiblancos themselves in 2018.
Juventus seal qualification despite 1-1 draw
Meanwhile, Juventus advanced to the semi-finals of the Europa League to set up a showdown against Sevilla. The Europa League may be the only realistic chance for either side to win a trophy, especially for Juventus, who have dropped 15 points in Serie A following a corruption investigation. Despite the deduction, his team has a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
After a home win – 1:0 Turintsy arrived in Portugal at “Sporting”. French midfielder Adrien Rabiot scored again from close range at the start of the match to put his side ahead. Things wouldn’t be so simple for the Italians, however, as Manuel Ugarte was brought down by Juventus’ top scorer in the box, only to gift the Portuguese the penalty kick, which Marcus Edwards calmly converted. Even so, Allegri’s side managed to hold on to their 2-1 aggregate lead to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition.
Bayer Leverkusen face West Ham in second semi-final
Elsewhere, Belgian side Union St.Gilloise’s Europa League dream came to an end after a crushing defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans won 4-1 in the second leg to reach their first Europa League semi-final in over two decades.
West Ham United were the last team to qualify for the semi-finals, beating Gent 4-1. Two goals from Mikhail Antonio and strikes from Lucas Pacqueta and Declan Rice were enough to beat the Belgians.