Sevilla once again showed that they are unmatched in the UEFA Europa League. The La Liga side beat AS Roma on penalties on Wednesday night to claim its seventh Europa League trophy in club history.

Sevilla got the win after overcoming a 1-0 deficit in the regular time. Following scoreless extra time, the Spanish side was better in the penalty shootout, converting four penalty kicks, while Roma only scored once from the spot. 

The game between Sevilla and Roma was a clash of history in a way. Sevilla entered the game having never lost the Europa League finals. Roma was coached by Jose Mourinho, who never lost finals in European competition over the course of his career.

It looked like Mourinho would prevail as Paulo Dybala gave Roma the lead in the 36th minute. However, Sevilla managed to make it even in the second half thanks to an own goal by Gianluca Mancini in the 55th minute.

Both sides had their chances to end the game in regular time but failed to take advantage of them. The game went to extra time, during which teams were more focused on keeping their goal intact than on threatening the opponent.

In the end, it all came down to penalties. Lucas Ocampos, Erik Lamela, Ivan Rakitic, and Gonzalo Montiel all scored for Sevilla, while Roma’s Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez failed to convert their penalty kicks.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Sevilla’s Erik Lamela, who previously played for Roma, said it was a difficult match but that his club deserved to win.

“This is my first title, I’ve waited a lot, and I’m so excited,” said Lamela. “Maybe it wasn’t our best match, but I think we deserved the effort made this year. The team has never stopped.”

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Jose Mourinho is showing he is the master of European club competitions. Just a year after leading AS Roma to UEFA Europa Conference League, Mourinho has the Italian club in the finals of the UEFA Europa League.

Roma punched their UEL finals ticket after a second-leg goalless draw against Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night. The first leg went to Roma, who got a 1-0 win at their Olimpico.

Standing in Mourinho’s way for consecutive seasons with European trophies is Sevilla. The Spanish club got a 3-2 win on aggregate against Juventus in the second semifinals matchup and hopes that the Europa League title can salvage their 2022-23 season. Sevilla is only 10th on the domestic La Liga standings.

The UEL final match is scheduled for 31 May and will be played at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.

AS Roma will return to the Europa League final match for the first time since 1990–91 when the competition was called UEFA Cup. They lost to Inter Milan in the two-game finals back then.

Sevilla, on the other hand, has become a specialist in Europa League. They won the tournament for the first time in 2006 and, since then, lifted the Europa League trophy five more times. Their most recent win came in 2020 when they beat Inter Milan 3-2 at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany.

The post AS Roma and Sevilla to Meet in UEFA Europa League Final appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The 2020-21 European international football competitions got underway last week, with the Champions League getting the lion’s share of attention as it usually does.

The second-tier competition, the UEFA Europa League, doesn’t tend to get as much press as its big brother, but features tons of the continent’s top clubs in a huge battle for European glory.

So, what teams are in a position to walk away from this year’s Europa League as Champions? Here are the top three contenders.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham, a fixture in the Champions League over the past several seasons, is in a prime position to compete for the UEFA Europa League title this season after a disappointing 19-20.

Jose Mourinho has a roster with some of the best talents in the continent, including a deadly attack consisting of striker Harry Kane, winger Heung-min Son, and attacking midfielder Dele Alli. Add in interesting additions like Gareth Bale and defensive help from players like new addition Sergio Reguilon, and Mourinho’s side is beginning to take on the look of a contender.

Whether all of the new pieces fit together well will determine their ultimate fate, but Spurs’ roster should have them in the competition until the end.

AC Milan

AC Milan has had a rough spell of it recently, but the squad continues to improve and they could take a big step by competing for Europa League glory this season.

The attack certainly isn’t the problem, as the ageless Zlatan Ibrahimovic has combined brilliantly in a team featuring tons of young attacking talent. Gianluigi Donnarumma has stayed loyal to his club despite recent turmoil, providing them with one of the world’s top goalkeepers in net.

The key to this team’s success will be if its defense is able to turn a corner and keep games manageable. If they are able to do so, we might see AC Milan lift a European trophy for the first time since the days of Kaka, Pirlo, and company.

Real Sociedad

It might surprise you to see Spanish side Real Sociedad here, but Imanol Alguacil’s team has a real shot to end up in the finals of the competition this season.

Real Sociedad is in first place in La Liga, and it’s easy to see why. David Silva, recently added to the team from Manchester City, has joined up with an exciting young attack with players such as Spanish international Mikel Oyarzabal and Swedish international Alexander Isak.

La Real is a deep, talented size who will surprise many that have never seen them play before. Could they become a dark horse champion?

The post Analyzing the 2020-21 Europa League Top Contenders appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Now it’s official. UEFA Europa League is Sevilla’s competition.

Sevilla lifted its record sixth UEFA Cup/Europa League trophy on Thursday night by beating the favored Inter Milan 3-2 in the Finals game held at RheinEnergieSTADION. This win also meant that the La Liga club remained perfect in the finals of the competition, going six out of six.

Things didn’t start great for Sevilla as Inter’s Romelu Lukaku went down in the penalty box in the 5th minute after a tackle from Diego Carlos. The referee awarded a penalty for Inter, which Lukaku confidently turned into a goal.

However, Inter’s lead didn’t last long. Sevilla equalized thanks to Luuk de Jong in the 12th minute, who scored a header a pinpoint cross by veteran Jesus Navas. 

The action got quiet a bit for the next 20 minutes, only for things to get exciting again. This time it was Sevilla who got the lead, with another de Jong’s header finding its way past Samir Handanovic in 33rd minute. Still, they managed to hold the 2-1 result for just three minutes, as Italian club strike back via defender Diego Godin.

The second half saw a much more cautious game, although Inter had the opportunity to get ahead early in the period, but Lukaku couldn’t utilize the one-on-one situation with Sevilla’s goalkeeper. He did, however, found the net in 74th minute.

After a sloppy clearance by Inter’s defense, Carlos tried a bicycle kick in the opponents’ 16-yard box. The ball wasn’t on target and was headed to sidelines, but Lukaku stepped in, tried to kick it away, and ended up putting it in his own net.

Inter pushed for the equalizer and had several good chances, but unfortunately for their fans, they couldn’t turn them into goals. With the loss, Seria A side extended their trophy drought to 10 years. The last trophy they won was Copa Italia during the 2010/11 season.

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Seria A giants Inter Milan delivered a dominating 5-0 win against Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk on Monday night to secure themselves a spot in UEFA’s Europa League Finals. Inter will now face Sevilla on August 21st in a match for all the marbles.

The first half started slower than expected, but a sudden burst of energy from Inter’s Nicolo Barella on the right flank resulted in a change on the scoreboard. Barella made a great run and delivered a well-measured cross to the penalty box, making it easy for striker Lautaro Martinez to give his team a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute.

After getting ahead, Inter didn’t back down and had several good chances to double their lead. Shakhtar, on the other hand, tried to get level but suffered from lack of creativity at the front and went on break still behind.

The Ukrainian champion seemed still in the game early in the second period, trying to make something happen while Inter decided to sit back and hunt counters. This proved to be the right choice for the Italians, as they soon went on an impressive scoring spree.

 Danilo D’Ambrosio first made it 2-0 in 64th, only for Martinez to score his second just 10 minutes later.  Then, Romelu Lukaku joined in the party and scored a brace in 78th and 83rd to set the final score of 5-0.

“The players knew that I believed in a great end to the season for us,” said Inter’s manager Antonio Conte after the game. “We worked very hard, and we learned from our mistakes during the season. We finished second in Serie A and now we have reached the Europa League final. Let’s enjoy this moment before preparing for the final.”

Against Sevilla, Inter will go for their fourth UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup trophy. Their last win in the competition came during the 1997/98 season.

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It looks like Manchester United just can’t get to finals this season. After previously being eliminated in Carabao Cup and FA Cup during the semi-finals, they now experienced the same fate in UEFA Europa League following a 2-1 loss to Sevilla on Sunday night.

United struggled in QF against F.C. Copenhagen, needing a penalty in overtime to advance to the next stage. In the match with Sevilla, however, they looked a lot better and managed to get to lead in the 9th minute.

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford delivered a great piece of one-two play in the penalty box, after which Sevilla’s defender Diego Carlos tackled Rashford in the forbidden area. Referee Felix Brych showed to the spot, and Bruno Fernandes confidently converted.

But the Premier League side couldn’t keep the lead too long, as Suso scored in 26th minute to give Sevilla an equalizer for 1-1. This ended up being the score for the first half.

In the second half, Manchester United had a chance to get ahead, but Martial, Rashford, Fernandes, and Fred all failed to score from tremendous opportunities thanks to Sevilla’s goalie Yassine Bounou. After weathering through a period of United’s dominance, La Liga club decided to strike back and managed to get to lead thanks to a 78th-minute goal from super-sub Luuk De Jong.

The result didn’t change until the end, and Sevilla celebrated an inspiring 2-1 comeback win while Man Utd had to head home.

“I feel like I’ve been hugged by joy. We know what this side has been through, today included, and we’ve got such a resilience against such intensity,” said Sevilla’s manager Julen Lopetegui.

Sevilla advanced to their sixth UEFA Europa League (UEFA Cup) finals. They won the competition in all five previous attempts.

This defeat means that Man Utd haven’t won a trophy for three consecutive seasons, which is their longest drought since the ‘80s.

“It’s difficult. The boys are devastated,“ said United’s captain Harry Maguire. “We created numerous chances. The best team lost. They punished us for missing chances. They didn’t make many chances to be honest.“

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The UEFA Europa League resumed its 2019/20 season on Wednesday night with four round-of-16 matches. Manchester United, F.C. Copenhagen, Shakhtar, and Inter Milan all recorded wins to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Manchester United hosted LASK on Old Trafford and recorded a 2-1 comeback win thanks to goals from Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial. United went through to the next stage with a total result of 7-1, after winning the first match 5-0. 

Shakhtar got a 3-0 win against Wolfsburg in Kyiv, having entered the game with ש 2-1 lead from the first leg. The interesting thing is that Ukrainian champions scored all of their goals after the 89th minute.

F.C. Copenhagen, on the other hand, managed to save themselves from elimination after losing the first leg 1-0 to Istanbul Basaksehir back in March. The Danish club got a dominating 3-0 victory at their home stadium and secured the place in QFs of European Competition for the first time in their history. 

In the fourth match of the evening, Inter and Getafe met on a neutral field in Gelsenkirchen in a one-off elimination game. Italian club ended up being the better side, ending the match in their favor thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku and Christian Eriksen.

Manchester United is now set to meet Copenhagen in quarterfinals, while Shakhtar Donetsk faces the better side from round-of-16 pair Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Basel. Inter will play the winner from Rangers vs. Leverkusen.

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Europa League is set to follow the Champions League model for the 2019 /20 season resume. UEFA confirmed on Wednesday that the competition will wrap up with a knockout tournament in Germany in August.

According to the announcement, the remaining stages of the Europa League will take place in Cologne, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, and Gelsenkirchen, with the quarterfinals set to start on August 10th. All matches will be played as single-elimination matches with the Finals match being scheduled for August 21st.

As of now, fans won’t be able to attend the matches. However, UEFA explained that the final decision will be made by the end of July according to the state of the coronavirus pandemic.

The teams that will take part in the Europa League knockout tournament in Germany will be determined through a Round of 16 matches that will take place at originally scheduled venues between August 5th and August 6th.

The teams that have already played the first leg of Round of 16 will proceed with the second leg as previously planned, and the standard rules of home and away goals will apply.

In duels Sevilla vs. AS Roma and Inter vs. Getafe, the clubs will play just one game, with the winner proceeding to the next phase. These clubs didn’t manage to play the first leg games before the competition got suspended due to coronavirus pandemic. 

The post Europa League to Wrap up the Season in Germany With a Knockout Tournament appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In the midst of the current coronavirus virus that is wreaking havoc on sports all over the globe, Europe’s soccer organizing body has made the decision to put the Champions League and Europa League finals on hold indefinitely.

UEFA announced that the competitions would be put on hold in the midst of the Round of 16 ties in the Champions League and the Europa League.

Now, with no end to the pandemic in sight, UEFA has had to put the finals of both of the tournaments on hold until the situation improves.

The Champions League Final, a title for which 12 teams are still vying, was originally scheduled to be held at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday, May 30th.

The Europa League Final, which was also put on hold, was scheduled to be held in Poland at Gdansk’s Stadion Energa Gdańsk on Wednesday, May 27th.

For now, teams are simply in “wait and see” mode when it comes to both domestic and continental competitions. All European soccer leagues (with the exception of the Belarussian Premier League) have been suspended until further notice.

UEFA hopes to play the finals for both competitions at some point in the summer, but that looks far from a certainty at this point.

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This year’s UEFA Europa League is yet another exciting edition of the secondary continental soccer competition on the continent of Europe.

After an unpredictable Round of 32, which saw tournament heavyweights such as Arsenal and Ajax knocked out of the competition, anything could happen in the competition’s upcoming Round of 16,

With this group of teams left in the field, let’s take a look at the top four favorites for this season’s Europa League crown.

Manchester United

The Red Devils might not be the mighty team that they once were, but they still look like one of the best teams in this year’s Europa League contest.

A favorable draw against Austrian side LASK Linz has put them in a good position to reach the semi-finals. Not many teams have the likes of players such as Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Jesse Lingard in their ranks, even if Man U sometimes plays beneath expectations.

Inter Milan

Inter Milan got a rough draw against Getafe, the team that knocked Ajax out of the competition in the Round of 32, but Antonio Conte’s team has plenty of options to go far and even win the tournament.

Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku form a duo of deadly forwards that are capable of exploding and scoring multiple goals on any given night. The winter loan deal for Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen was a huge boost for the squad, which has its hopes set high.

Getafe

Pepe Bordalas’s Getafe might not have the name recognition of some of the other teams in this competition, but this La Liga side is for real.

Currently in fourth place in Spain’s La Liga, Getafe took care of Ajax in the Round of 32 and now has a massive Round of 16 bout with Inter ahead of them. If any team can stop a front line as talented as Inter’s, it’s Getafe, which has one of the top five defenses in Europe. If defense wins titles, the Azulones might just be heading for Europa League glory.

Sevilla

Rounding out our list of this year’s top Europa League contenders is Sevilla, the most successful club in the history of the competition with five titles.

They have a tough Round of 16 matchup against Roma ahead of them, but Sevilla is a deep side that could be capable of going far and even winning this year’s competition. Julen Lopetegui’s team boasts a strong defense headlined by Diego Carlos, but also can get plenty of goals from players like Luuk de Jong and Lucas Ocampos.

The post Evaluating This Year’s UEFA Europa League Favorites appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Sevilla once again showed that they are unmatched in the UEFA Europa League. The La Liga side beat AS Roma on penalties on Wednesday night to claim its seventh Europa League trophy in club history.

Sevilla got the win after overcoming a 1-0 deficit in the regular time. Following scoreless extra time, the Spanish side was better in the penalty shootout, converting four penalty kicks, while Roma only scored once from the spot. 

The game between Sevilla and Roma was a clash of history in a way. Sevilla entered the game having never lost the Europa League finals. Roma was coached by Jose Mourinho, who never lost finals in European competition over the course of his career.

It looked like Mourinho would prevail as Paulo Dybala gave Roma the lead in the 36th minute. However, Sevilla managed to make it even in the second half thanks to an own goal by Gianluca Mancini in the 55th minute.

Both sides had their chances to end the game in regular time but failed to take advantage of them. The game went to extra time, during which teams were more focused on keeping their goal intact than on threatening the opponent.

In the end, it all came down to penalties. Lucas Ocampos, Erik Lamela, Ivan Rakitic, and Gonzalo Montiel all scored for Sevilla, while Roma’s Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez failed to convert their penalty kicks.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Sevilla’s Erik Lamela, who previously played for Roma, said it was a difficult match but that his club deserved to win.

“This is my first title, I’ve waited a lot, and I’m so excited,” said Lamela. “Maybe it wasn’t our best match, but I think we deserved the effort made this year. The team has never stopped.”

The post Sevilla Beats Roma on Penalties to Claim Its 7th Europa League Trophy appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Jose Mourinho is showing he is the master of European club competitions. Just a year after leading AS Roma to UEFA Europa Conference League, Mourinho has the Italian club in the finals of the UEFA Europa League.

Roma punched their UEL finals ticket after a second-leg goalless draw against Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night. The first leg went to Roma, who got a 1-0 win at their Olimpico.

Standing in Mourinho’s way for consecutive seasons with European trophies is Sevilla. The Spanish club got a 3-2 win on aggregate against Juventus in the second semifinals matchup and hopes that the Europa League title can salvage their 2022-23 season. Sevilla is only 10th on the domestic La Liga standings.

The UEL final match is scheduled for 31 May and will be played at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.

AS Roma will return to the Europa League final match for the first time since 1990–91 when the competition was called UEFA Cup. They lost to Inter Milan in the two-game finals back then.

Sevilla, on the other hand, has become a specialist in Europa League. They won the tournament for the first time in 2006 and, since then, lifted the Europa League trophy five more times. Their most recent win came in 2020 when they beat Inter Milan 3-2 at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany.

The post AS Roma and Sevilla to Meet in UEFA Europa League Final appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The 2020-21 European international football competitions got underway last week, with the Champions League getting the lion’s share of attention as it usually does.

The second-tier competition, the UEFA Europa League, doesn’t tend to get as much press as its big brother, but features tons of the continent’s top clubs in a huge battle for European glory.

So, what teams are in a position to walk away from this year’s Europa League as Champions? Here are the top three contenders.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham, a fixture in the Champions League over the past several seasons, is in a prime position to compete for the UEFA Europa League title this season after a disappointing 19-20.

Jose Mourinho has a roster with some of the best talents in the continent, including a deadly attack consisting of striker Harry Kane, winger Heung-min Son, and attacking midfielder Dele Alli. Add in interesting additions like Gareth Bale and defensive help from players like new addition Sergio Reguilon, and Mourinho’s side is beginning to take on the look of a contender.

Whether all of the new pieces fit together well will determine their ultimate fate, but Spurs’ roster should have them in the competition until the end.

AC Milan

AC Milan has had a rough spell of it recently, but the squad continues to improve and they could take a big step by competing for Europa League glory this season.

The attack certainly isn’t the problem, as the ageless Zlatan Ibrahimovic has combined brilliantly in a team featuring tons of young attacking talent. Gianluigi Donnarumma has stayed loyal to his club despite recent turmoil, providing them with one of the world’s top goalkeepers in net.

The key to this team’s success will be if its defense is able to turn a corner and keep games manageable. If they are able to do so, we might see AC Milan lift a European trophy for the first time since the days of Kaka, Pirlo, and company.

Real Sociedad

It might surprise you to see Spanish side Real Sociedad here, but Imanol Alguacil’s team has a real shot to end up in the finals of the competition this season.

Real Sociedad is in first place in La Liga, and it’s easy to see why. David Silva, recently added to the team from Manchester City, has joined up with an exciting young attack with players such as Spanish international Mikel Oyarzabal and Swedish international Alexander Isak.

La Real is a deep, talented size who will surprise many that have never seen them play before. Could they become a dark horse champion?

The post Analyzing the 2020-21 Europa League Top Contenders appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Now it’s official. UEFA Europa League is Sevilla’s competition.

Sevilla lifted its record sixth UEFA Cup/Europa League trophy on Thursday night by beating the favored Inter Milan 3-2 in the Finals game held at RheinEnergieSTADION. This win also meant that the La Liga club remained perfect in the finals of the competition, going six out of six.

Things didn’t start great for Sevilla as Inter’s Romelu Lukaku went down in the penalty box in the 5th minute after a tackle from Diego Carlos. The referee awarded a penalty for Inter, which Lukaku confidently turned into a goal.

However, Inter’s lead didn’t last long. Sevilla equalized thanks to Luuk de Jong in the 12th minute, who scored a header a pinpoint cross by veteran Jesus Navas. 

The action got quiet a bit for the next 20 minutes, only for things to get exciting again. This time it was Sevilla who got the lead, with another de Jong’s header finding its way past Samir Handanovic in 33rd minute. Still, they managed to hold the 2-1 result for just three minutes, as Italian club strike back via defender Diego Godin.

The second half saw a much more cautious game, although Inter had the opportunity to get ahead early in the period, but Lukaku couldn’t utilize the one-on-one situation with Sevilla’s goalkeeper. He did, however, found the net in 74th minute.

After a sloppy clearance by Inter’s defense, Carlos tried a bicycle kick in the opponents’ 16-yard box. The ball wasn’t on target and was headed to sidelines, but Lukaku stepped in, tried to kick it away, and ended up putting it in his own net.

Inter pushed for the equalizer and had several good chances, but unfortunately for their fans, they couldn’t turn them into goals. With the loss, Seria A side extended their trophy drought to 10 years. The last trophy they won was Copa Italia during the 2010/11 season.

The post Sevilla Wins the 2020 UEFA Europa League Trophy appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Seria A giants Inter Milan delivered a dominating 5-0 win against Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk on Monday night to secure themselves a spot in UEFA’s Europa League Finals. Inter will now face Sevilla on August 21st in a match for all the marbles.

The first half started slower than expected, but a sudden burst of energy from Inter’s Nicolo Barella on the right flank resulted in a change on the scoreboard. Barella made a great run and delivered a well-measured cross to the penalty box, making it easy for striker Lautaro Martinez to give his team a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute.

After getting ahead, Inter didn’t back down and had several good chances to double their lead. Shakhtar, on the other hand, tried to get level but suffered from lack of creativity at the front and went on break still behind.

The Ukrainian champion seemed still in the game early in the second period, trying to make something happen while Inter decided to sit back and hunt counters. This proved to be the right choice for the Italians, as they soon went on an impressive scoring spree.

 Danilo D’Ambrosio first made it 2-0 in 64th, only for Martinez to score his second just 10 minutes later.  Then, Romelu Lukaku joined in the party and scored a brace in 78th and 83rd to set the final score of 5-0.

“The players knew that I believed in a great end to the season for us,” said Inter’s manager Antonio Conte after the game. “We worked very hard, and we learned from our mistakes during the season. We finished second in Serie A and now we have reached the Europa League final. Let’s enjoy this moment before preparing for the final.”

Against Sevilla, Inter will go for their fourth UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup trophy. Their last win in the competition came during the 1997/98 season.

The post Inter Dominates Shakhtar to Secure UEFA Europa League Finals Spot appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It looks like Manchester United just can’t get to finals this season. After previously being eliminated in Carabao Cup and FA Cup during the semi-finals, they now experienced the same fate in UEFA Europa League following a 2-1 loss to Sevilla on Sunday night.

United struggled in QF against F.C. Copenhagen, needing a penalty in overtime to advance to the next stage. In the match with Sevilla, however, they looked a lot better and managed to get to lead in the 9th minute.

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford delivered a great piece of one-two play in the penalty box, after which Sevilla’s defender Diego Carlos tackled Rashford in the forbidden area. Referee Felix Brych showed to the spot, and Bruno Fernandes confidently converted.

But the Premier League side couldn’t keep the lead too long, as Suso scored in 26th minute to give Sevilla an equalizer for 1-1. This ended up being the score for the first half.

In the second half, Manchester United had a chance to get ahead, but Martial, Rashford, Fernandes, and Fred all failed to score from tremendous opportunities thanks to Sevilla’s goalie Yassine Bounou. After weathering through a period of United’s dominance, La Liga club decided to strike back and managed to get to lead thanks to a 78th-minute goal from super-sub Luuk De Jong.

The result didn’t change until the end, and Sevilla celebrated an inspiring 2-1 comeback win while Man Utd had to head home.

“I feel like I’ve been hugged by joy. We know what this side has been through, today included, and we’ve got such a resilience against such intensity,” said Sevilla’s manager Julen Lopetegui.

Sevilla advanced to their sixth UEFA Europa League (UEFA Cup) finals. They won the competition in all five previous attempts.

This defeat means that Man Utd haven’t won a trophy for three consecutive seasons, which is their longest drought since the ‘80s.

“It’s difficult. The boys are devastated,“ said United’s captain Harry Maguire. “We created numerous chances. The best team lost. They punished us for missing chances. They didn’t make many chances to be honest.“

The post Man Utd out of Europa League after a Disappointing 2-1 Loss to Sevilla appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The UEFA Europa League resumed its 2019/20 season on Wednesday night with four round-of-16 matches. Manchester United, F.C. Copenhagen, Shakhtar, and Inter Milan all recorded wins to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Manchester United hosted LASK on Old Trafford and recorded a 2-1 comeback win thanks to goals from Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial. United went through to the next stage with a total result of 7-1, after winning the first match 5-0. 

Shakhtar got a 3-0 win against Wolfsburg in Kyiv, having entered the game with ש 2-1 lead from the first leg. The interesting thing is that Ukrainian champions scored all of their goals after the 89th minute.

F.C. Copenhagen, on the other hand, managed to save themselves from elimination after losing the first leg 1-0 to Istanbul Basaksehir back in March. The Danish club got a dominating 3-0 victory at their home stadium and secured the place in QFs of European Competition for the first time in their history. 

In the fourth match of the evening, Inter and Getafe met on a neutral field in Gelsenkirchen in a one-off elimination game. Italian club ended up being the better side, ending the match in their favor thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku and Christian Eriksen.

Manchester United is now set to meet Copenhagen in quarterfinals, while Shakhtar Donetsk faces the better side from round-of-16 pair Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Basel. Inter will play the winner from Rangers vs. Leverkusen.

The post Europa League Resumes, Man Utd and Inter Advance to QF appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Europa League is set to follow the Champions League model for the 2019 /20 season resume. UEFA confirmed on Wednesday that the competition will wrap up with a knockout tournament in Germany in August.

According to the announcement, the remaining stages of the Europa League will take place in Cologne, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, and Gelsenkirchen, with the quarterfinals set to start on August 10th. All matches will be played as single-elimination matches with the Finals match being scheduled for August 21st.

As of now, fans won’t be able to attend the matches. However, UEFA explained that the final decision will be made by the end of July according to the state of the coronavirus pandemic.

The teams that will take part in the Europa League knockout tournament in Germany will be determined through a Round of 16 matches that will take place at originally scheduled venues between August 5th and August 6th.

The teams that have already played the first leg of Round of 16 will proceed with the second leg as previously planned, and the standard rules of home and away goals will apply.

In duels Sevilla vs. AS Roma and Inter vs. Getafe, the clubs will play just one game, with the winner proceeding to the next phase. These clubs didn’t manage to play the first leg games before the competition got suspended due to coronavirus pandemic. 

The post Europa League to Wrap up the Season in Germany With a Knockout Tournament appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In the midst of the current coronavirus virus that is wreaking havoc on sports all over the globe, Europe’s soccer organizing body has made the decision to put the Champions League and Europa League finals on hold indefinitely.

UEFA announced that the competitions would be put on hold in the midst of the Round of 16 ties in the Champions League and the Europa League.

Now, with no end to the pandemic in sight, UEFA has had to put the finals of both of the tournaments on hold until the situation improves.

The Champions League Final, a title for which 12 teams are still vying, was originally scheduled to be held at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday, May 30th.

The Europa League Final, which was also put on hold, was scheduled to be held in Poland at Gdansk’s Stadion Energa Gdańsk on Wednesday, May 27th.

For now, teams are simply in “wait and see” mode when it comes to both domestic and continental competitions. All European soccer leagues (with the exception of the Belarussian Premier League) have been suspended until further notice.

UEFA hopes to play the finals for both competitions at some point in the summer, but that looks far from a certainty at this point.

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This year’s UEFA Europa League is yet another exciting edition of the secondary continental soccer competition on the continent of Europe.

After an unpredictable Round of 32, which saw tournament heavyweights such as Arsenal and Ajax knocked out of the competition, anything could happen in the competition’s upcoming Round of 16,

With this group of teams left in the field, let’s take a look at the top four favorites for this season’s Europa League crown.

Manchester United

The Red Devils might not be the mighty team that they once were, but they still look like one of the best teams in this year’s Europa League contest.

A favorable draw against Austrian side LASK Linz has put them in a good position to reach the semi-finals. Not many teams have the likes of players such as Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Jesse Lingard in their ranks, even if Man U sometimes plays beneath expectations.

Inter Milan

Inter Milan got a rough draw against Getafe, the team that knocked Ajax out of the competition in the Round of 32, but Antonio Conte’s team has plenty of options to go far and even win the tournament.

Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku form a duo of deadly forwards that are capable of exploding and scoring multiple goals on any given night. The winter loan deal for Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen was a huge boost for the squad, which has its hopes set high.

Getafe

Pepe Bordalas’s Getafe might not have the name recognition of some of the other teams in this competition, but this La Liga side is for real.

Currently in fourth place in Spain’s La Liga, Getafe took care of Ajax in the Round of 32 and now has a massive Round of 16 bout with Inter ahead of them. If any team can stop a front line as talented as Inter’s, it’s Getafe, which has one of the top five defenses in Europe. If defense wins titles, the Azulones might just be heading for Europa League glory.

Sevilla

Rounding out our list of this year’s top Europa League contenders is Sevilla, the most successful club in the history of the competition with five titles.

They have a tough Round of 16 matchup against Roma ahead of them, but Sevilla is a deep side that could be capable of going far and even winning this year’s competition. Julen Lopetegui’s team boasts a strong defense headlined by Diego Carlos, but also can get plenty of goals from players like Luuk de Jong and Lucas Ocampos.

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