Depending on who you ask, last night’s set of Europa League matches may have left you excited or distraught.
Bayer Leverkusen, Feyenoord, Juventus, and Sevilla supporters probably all slept well, but the same can’t be said for the fans over at Union Saint-Gilloise, AS Roma, Sporting, and Manchester United.
Union Saint-Gilloise and Manchester United were held to pulsating draws, while Feyenoord and Juventus are one step closer to the semi-finals with crucial first-leg wins, although they cannot get complacent ahead of next week because it isn’t over yet.
In case you missed it, worry not, as SBOTOP is here to review the latest Europa League 2023 results.
Manchester United running on fumes
Manchester United blew a two-goal lead as Sevilla benefitted from two own goals in the final six minutes to force a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils entered the quarter-finals as one of the favourites to win this tournament, according to the Europa League 2023 odds. And it looked like they were on their way when Marcel Sabitzer had a brace early in the first half.
But after a blistering start, it all went downhill in the second half.
The game turned on its head in the 84th minute as Jesus Navas’ ball was deflected by Tyrell Malacia, and the ball whizzed past David de Gea, bringing Sevilla within one.
Six minutes later, Youssef En-Nesyri attempted a header from a corner, and the ball bounced off Harry Maguire’s head past David de Gea once more. Maguire looked clueless during the said sequence, and it was already too late.
At least eight United players are set to miss the second leg: Raphael Varane (foot), Lisandro Martinez (foot), Marcus Rashford (groin), Luke Shaw (unspecified), Alejandro Garnacho (ankle), Tom Heaton (ankle), Donny van de Beek (knee), and Bruno Fernandes (suspended).
As it turns out, breaking the “Sevilla Curse” is a gargantuan task because Manchester United made it much harder for themselves in their Europa League campaign.
Juventus extend Sporting’s winless run in Italy
Sporting missed an opportunity to break their drought against Italian sides, as they lost 1-0 to Juventus in Turin last night.
The Lisbon-based outfit dominated at the start of the match, as they had their fair share of scoring opportunities in the first half. Sebastian Coates tested goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny before Nuno Santos drew another defencive play from Gleison Bremer.
It looked like Juventus were in trouble when Szczesny was subbed off shortly before halftime due to chest discomfort, but substitute goalkeeper Mattia Perin stepped up for the Poland international.
Juve eventually broke through in the 73rd minute when Dusan Vlahovic’s header was blocked by Coates, but Federico Gatti scored off a rebound.
Perin put on the finishing touches when he had a double save in stoppage time to secure the close win.
Juventus will head to the second leg confident about their chances. The winner of this tie will face either Sevilla or Manchester United in the semi-finals.
Wirtz to the rescue for Bayer Leverkusen
Elsewhere in the BayArena, Florian Wirtz rescued a 1-1 draw against Union Saint-Gilloise in their Europa League quarter-final first leg.
After a goalless first half, Union Saint-Gilloise struck six minutes after the restart, as Victor Boniface was left unmarked on the left, and he fired a beautiful shot past Lukas Hradecky for his sixth European goal in nine games this season.
But after that, Die Werkself were in control for much of the second half, and they had two chances for the win. Jeremie Frimpong almost headed the ball in during the 78th minute, but Wirtz did much better with his finish four minutes later.
Since returning from injury in late January, Wirtz has recorded four goals and eight assists in all competitions. Bayer Leverkusen are now undefeated in seven consecutive matches across all competitions.
AS Roma wasteful against Feyenoord
Mats Wieffer redeemed himself by scoring the winning goal to hand Feyenoord a 1-0 victory at home against AS Roma, in what was a rematch of last season’s Europa Conference League final.
The Dutch midfielder conceded a penalty before halftime after bringing Tammy Abraham down inside the box, but he was lucky that Lorenzo Pellegrini’s penalty kick hit against the post for a wasted chance.
Eight minutes after the break, Wieffer scored from outside the box after being set up by Oussama Idrissi on the left flank.
AS Roma did not only lose this match, but they also suffered injury setbacks to forwards Paulo Dybala (thigh) and Tammy Abraham (shoulder).
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