Europa League: Manchester United batter Betis, Juve and Sevilla snatch vital wins
Manchester United - Real Betis 4-1
Manchester United extended their unbeaten streak at Old Trafford to 20 matches, blitzing Real Betis 4-1 in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Seeking an immediate remedy to his side’s 7-0 trouncing to rivals Liverpool on Sunday evening, Erik ten Hag had a smile on his face after just six minutes, when the in-form Marcus Rashford rifled home a thunderous strike to give the hosts an early lead.
Capitalising on a mistake from the Betis backline, the England international’s instinctive finish stunned Old Trafford into action, while settling any post-Liverpool nerves that may have been growing among the Red Devils faithful.
However, in what was their first-ever visit to Old Trafford, Betis were determined to leave their mark, eventually equalising midway through the half. Drilling home from inside the penalty area, Ayoze Perez picked up from where he left off last time against United, when the forward notched up two assists, by netting the goal that drew the visitors level.
Perez was donning the blue of parent club Leicester City last time he came up against United and the Foxes loanee almost snatched a second just before the break, this time the woodwork saving United from conceding.
Shaken by Betis’ resurgence in the tie, Ten Hag’s men responded well in the second half, netting twice within 10 minutes to take control of the clash. Firstly through Antony, who danced onto his stronger left foot, before bending home a delightful curled effort from 20 yards out.
While United’s second came via a moment of magic, there was a touch of fortune to the hosts’ third of the evening, with Betis goalkeeper Claudio Bravo letting Bruno Fernandes’ powerful header slip through his grasp.
There was even time for Wout Weghorst to get himself in on the act, who turned home just his second goal since joining United after some incredible work in the build-up from Facundo Pellistri.
All in all, it’s a much-needed response from United, who may still be scarred by Sunday’s massacre but showed signs of improvement to put themselves within touching distance of the quarter-finals.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Antony (Manchester United)
Juventus - Freiburg 1-0
Juventus will take the advantage to Germany in their round-of-16 tie with SC Freiburg after a fourth goal in two games for Angel Di Maria ensured they ran out 1-0 first-leg victors at Allianz Stadium.
Flying high in both domestic and continental football this season, it was a new proposition for Freiburg as they found themselves at this stage of a European competition for the first time ever.
With Sunday’s disappointing 1-0 defeat at Roma taking the Bianconeri further from Serie A top four contention, a win here was vital should they want to secure Champions League qualification via lifting the UEL trophy, and they set out to do just that.
After a ferocious start, Juventus almost got the opener through Adrien Rabiot, but Mark Flekken was just about able to prevent it from going over the line. A couple of well-struck free-kicks followed, but the Freiburg stopper was once again unerring.
The visitors failed to forge any chances, but having previously conceded just three goals this campaign, defence was a different story. Bremer came close when he sent a header marginally wide, but ultimately Juventus’ efforts in the final third broke down in the face of imperious displays from Matthias Ginter and club legend Christian Gunter.
Juventus needed an injection of inspiration in the second half, and they were finally able to breach the Freiburg rearguard as their individual quality shone through. Filip Kostic, who knows these opponents well from his time with Eintracht Frankfurt, whipped in a fantastic cross from deep which was thumped into the net off the head of Di Maria.
For all of Juve’s dominance, Freiburg had the ball in the back of the net with their first attempt on target, but Lucas Holer’s pinpoint on-the-turn finish was chalked off after the referee judged that Ginter had handled it in the build-up.
The visitors were unable to get themselves back into the game, and aside from a wayward Vincenzo Grifo free-kick, created no further attempts. They will, however, take confidence from the fact that they travel home for the return leg, for a chance at the quarter-finals.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Angel Di Maria (Juventus)
Sevilla - Fenerbahce 2-0
Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic produced several vital saves to help the Rojiblancos end their three-match losing streak as the six-time Europa League champions sealed a 2-0 victory in their round of 16 tie against Fenerbahce.
The return to European action came as a welcome distraction for Sevilla as the La Liga side face a real threat of relegation this season but the record Europa League holders were quickly penned back by a Fenerbahce side unbeaten in seven.
Ferdi Kadioglu’s low strike first forced Dmitrovic into an early save before Enner Valencia nearly struck his ninth goal in five matches when he attempted to lob the Sevilla goalkeeper from the halfway line, only for his speculative effort to drop just wide.
After riding the early bombardment of chances, the home side started to edge back into the contest and Ivan Rakitic nearly scored what would have been his 50th goal for Sevilla in spectacular fashion when his long-range free-kick was tipped over by a fully-stretch Altay Bayindir.
However, the chance did not deter Fenerbahçe and the visitors went closest to breaking the deadlock before halftime when Joshua King headed over from close range.
Following a first-half pummeling, yet somehow holding level, Sevilla regrouped and started positively after the break and Tanguy Nianzou’s flying header tested Bayindir immediately. The early chance set the tone and Rojiblancos substitute Joan Jordan made an instant impact as his 20-yard strike took a wild deflection, wrong-footed Bayindir and flew into the net.
A late personal battle ensued between Valencia and Dmitrovic as the Fenerbahce top-scorer tested the Sevilla stopper with a low driving strike and a header from six yards. But Dmitrovic’s heroics gave his side a platform to build on and Erik Lamela curled Ivan Rakitic’s cut-back past Bayindir late on.
A hard-fought victory was Sevilla’s perfect remedy after a 6-1 thrashing at Atletico Madrid on Saturday and Jorge Sampaoli’s side head to Istanbul with a strong advantage.
Despite a promising start, Fenerbahce were picked off with a moment of luck and a late counter as their chances of matching their best-ever UEL run to the semi-finals in 2012/13 now appears unlikely.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marko Dmitrovic (Sevilla)
Shakhtar Donetsk - Feyenoord 1-1
Shakhtar Donetsk and Feyenoord shared a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their round of 16 tie after some late drama in Warsaw.
The visitors came into the game fresh from six consecutive wins that had seen them both at the peak of the Eredivisie table and put them into the KNVB Beker semi-final. They dominated the first half here too, as they probed at the Shakhtar defence repeatedly, however, it was to no avail as they struggled to take advantage of their chances and barely troubled Anatoliy Trubin in the Shakhtar net.
The Dutch side didn’t relent, however, and appeared keen to keep their good run going with a prospective treble still on the cards, going close to taking the lead in the closing stages of the first half through Polish midfielder Sebastian Szymanski. The midfielder collected the ball on the edge of the area before firing a shot towards goal, only to be denied by a smart save from Trubin in the Shakhtar goal.
Igor Jovicevic’s side managed their first win in their temporary home in Warsaw at the fourth attempt in their latest ‘home’ match against Rennes but they were likely aware that they needed to step up their game if they wanted first-leg advantage, as it was Feyenoord who continued to push for the first goal after the break.
The best chance for the visitors arrived after 64 minutes, as Danilo sent a looping header towards the corner but Trubin was again there to deny the Brazilian as he scrambled backwards to make the save.
Shakhtar thought they’d dug themselves out of a hole against the run of play with just over ten minutes to go in the first leg, as the Ukrainians converted with their first effort on target through Yaroslav Rakitskyi in fortunate circumstances. After putting his body on the line from a corner, the defender sent the ball in at the far post after it bounced off his back, to leave the visitors temporarily stunned.
However, the tie wasn’t over, as substitute Ezequiel Bulluade combined with fellow substitute Igor Paivao to strike a late blow to Shakhtar, marking the Argentinian's first goal for Feyenoord with a fantastic header across goal.
The late drama continued as the away side thought they’d taken the lead in the final minute of added time through Lutsharel Geertruida, but the Dutch defender was judged to be offside before putting the ball into the back of the net.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yaroslav Rakitskyi (Shakhtar Donetsk)
