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Post by White Lightning on Dec 9, 2016 22:09:33 GMT
Group Stage Matchday 4 Thursday 3rd November 2016 Group B Astana Arena, Astana Astana 1 - 1 Olympiacos Group F Stadio Città del Tricolore Reggio, Emilia Sassuolo 2 - 2 Rapid Wien Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao Athletic 5 - 3 Genk Group E Arena Națională, Bucharest Astra 1 - 1 Plzeň Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna Austria Wien 2 - 4 Roma Group D Netanya Municipal Stadium, Netanya M. Tel-Aviv 0 - 0 AZ Stadion Petrovskiy, St Petersburg Zenit 2 - 1 Dundalk Group C Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels Anderlecht 6 - 1 Mainz 8KM Stadium, Baku Gabala 1 - 2 St-Étienne Group B GSP, Nicosia APOEL 1 - 0 Young Boys Group A Stadion Chornomorets, Odessa Zorya 1 - 1 Feyenoord Şükrü Saracoğlu, Istanbul Fenerbahçe 2 - 1 Man. United Group L Estadio El Madrigal, Villarreal Villarreal 1 - 2 Osmanlıspor Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich Zürich 0 - 0 Steaua Group K St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton Southampton 2 - 1 Internazionale Generali Arena, Prague Sparta Praha 2 - 0 H. Beer-Sheva Group J Stadio Toumba, Salonika PAOK 0 - 1 Qarabağ Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence Fiorentina 3 - 0 Liberec Group I Stade de Nice, Nice Nice 0 - 2 Salzburg Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen Schalke 2 - 0 Krasnodar Group H Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga Braga 3 - 1 Konyaspor KAA Gent Stadium, Ghent Gent 3 - 5 Shakhtar Donetsk Group G Apostolos Nikolaidis, Athens Panathinaikos 0 - 3 Standard Liège Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Ajax 3 - 2 Celta WL
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Post by White Lightning on Dec 12, 2016 22:16:55 GMT
Group Stage Matchday 5 Thursday 24th November 2016 Group D Stadion Petrovskiy, St Petersburg Zenit 2 - 0 M. Tel-Aviv Group C 8KM Stadium, Baku Gabala 1 - 3 Anderlecht Group B Astana Arena, Astana Astana 2 - 1 APOEL Group A Şükrü Saracoğlu, Istanbul Fenerbahçe 2 - 0 Zorya Group L Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich Zürich 1 - 1 Villarreal Arena Națională, Bucharest Steaua 2 - 1 Osmanlıspor Group K Generali Arena, Prague
Sparta Praha 1 - 0 SouthamptonTurner Stadium, Beer Sheva H. Beer-Sheva 3 - 2 Internazionale Group J Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence Fiorentina 2 - 3 PAOK U Nisy, Liberec Liberec 3 - 0 Qarabağ Group I Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen Schalke 2 - 0 Nice Krasnodar Stadium, Krasnodar Krasnodar 1 - 1 Salzburg Group H KAA Gent Stadium, Ghent Gent 2 - 2 Braga Arena Lviv, Lviv Shakhtar Donetsk 4 - 0 Konyaspor Group G Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Ajax 2 - 0 Panathinaikos Balaídos, Vigo Celta 1 - 1 Standard Liège Group F Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao Athletic 3 - 2 Sassuolo KRC Genk Arena, Genk Genk 1 - 0 Rapid Wien Group E Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna Austria Wien 1 - 2 Astra Stadio Olimpico, Rome Roma 4 - 1 Plzeň Group D Tallaght Stadium, Dublin
Dundalk 0 - 1 AZGroup C Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne St-Étienne 0 - 0 Mainz Group B Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, Piraeus Olympiacos 1 - 1 Young Boys Group A Old Trafford, Manchester
Man. United 4 - 0 Feyenoord WL
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Post by White Lightning on Dec 12, 2016 22:31:15 GMT
Group Stage Matchday 6 Thursday 8th December 2016 Group L Estadio El Madrigal, Villarreal Villarreal 2 - 1 Steaua Osmanlı Stadı, Ankara Osmanlıspor 2 - 0 Zürich Group J Stadio Toumba, Salonika PAOK 2 - 0 Liberec Tofig Bahramov Republican stadium, Baku Qarabağ 1 - 2 Fiorentina Group H Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga Braga 2 - 4 Shakhtar Donetsk Konya Büyükşehir Belediyesi Stadyumu, Konya Konyaspor 0 - 1 Gent Group F Weststadion, Vienna Rapid Wien 1 - 1 Athletic Group E Arena Națională, Bucharest Astra 0 - 0 Roma Doosan Arena, Plzen Plzeň 3 - 2 Austria Wien Group D Netanya Municipal Stadium, Netanya
M. Tel-Aviv 2 - 1 DundalkAZ Stadion, Alkmaar AZ 3 - 2 Zenit Group C Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels Anderlecht 2 - 3 St-Étienne Mainz Arena, Mainz Mainz 2 - 0 Gabala Group B GSP, Nicosia APOEL 2 - 0 Olympiacos Stade de Suisse, Berne Young Boys 3 - 0 Astana Group A Stadion Chornomorets, Odessa
Zorya 0 - 2 Man. UnitedStadion Feijenoord, Rotterdam Feyenoord 0 - 1 Fenerbahçe Group K St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton 1 - 1 H. Beer-ShevaStadio San Siro, Milan Internazionale 2 - 1 Sparta Praha Group I Stade de Nice, Nice Nice 2 - 1 Krasnodar Stadion Salzburg, Salzburg Salzburg 2 - 0 Schalke Group G Apostolos Nikolaidis, Athens Panathinaikos 0 - 2 Celta Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liege Standard Liège 1 - 1 Ajax Friday 9th December 2016 Group F Stadio Città del Tricolore, Reggio Emilia Sassuolo 0 - 2 Genk WL
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Post by White Lightning on Dec 12, 2016 22:37:53 GMT
UEFA Europa League round of 32 draw Monday 12th December 2016 Manchester United drew St-Étienne in the round of 32 draw in Nyon, with the competition's form team, Shakhtar Donetsk, lined up for a reunion with Celta Vigo. Manchester United v Saint-Étienne may promote some mixed feelings in the Pogba household, with UEFA Champions League third-placed finishers Mönchengladbach getting a tough UEFA Europa League round of 32 opponent in the form of Fiorentina. Round of 32 draw Athletic Club (ESP) v APOEL (CYP) Legia Warszawa (POL)* v Ajax (NED) Anderlecht (BEL) v Zenit (RUS) Astra Giurgiu (ROU) v Genk (BEL) Manchester United (ENG) v St-Étienne (FRA)Villarreal (ESP) v Roma (ITA) Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL)* v København (DEN)* Celta Vigo (ESP) v Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) Olympiacos (GRE) v Osmanlıspor (TUR) Gent (BEL) v Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)*Rostov (RUS)* v Sparta Praha (CZE) Krasnodar (RUS) v Fenerbahçe (TUR) Borussia Mönchengladbach (GER)* v Fiorentina (ITA) AZ Alkmaar (NED) v Lyon (FRA)* Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR) v Beşiktaş (TUR)* PAOK (GRE) v Schalke (GER) *Transferred from UEFA Champions League All first legs on 16th February All second legs on 23rd February except St-Étienne v Manchester United and Fenerbahçe v Krasnodar on 22nd February Draw facts • United v St-Étienne means a round of 32 meeting for brothers Paul and Florentin Pogba; United beat Les Verts 3 - 1 on aggregate in the first round of the 1977/78 European Cup Winners' Cup. They will not be the first brothers to meet in a UEFA club competition game. • Ajax flattened Legia 4 - 0 on aggregate in the 2014/15 round of 32. • Anderlecht and Zenit have met four times: one win for the Belgian side and three for the Russians. • Celta overcame Shakhtar 1 - 0 over two legs in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup third round. • Villarreal knocked Roma out of the 2003/04 UEFA Cup fourth round, following up a 2 - 0 home victory with a 2 - 1 defeat in Rome. • Schalke eliminated PAOK in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League play-offs, a late goal in Thessaloniki securing a 3 - 2 victory after a 1 - 1 draw in Gelsenkirchen. • Sevilla's three-year reign as holders is over after they reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16. • Shakhtar were the only side to win all six group stage games this season, and with 21 goals, outscored nearest rivals Zenit by four goals. • The leading marksmen in the 2016/17 competition so far are Zenit's Giuliano and Athletic's Aritz Aduriz with six each. Aduriz was also top scorer in last term's competition with ten goals. Where is the final? The Friends Arena in Solna, near the Swedish capital Stockholm, which opened on 14th November 2012 with a friendly between Sweden and England. Named after an anti-bullying campaign, it is the successor to the nearby Råsunda as the national stadium. It is also home to Swedish national team and club side AIK Solna. Final tickets will go on sale in spring 2017, with a proportion set aside for fans of the two finalist sides. © 1998-2016 UEFA. All rights reserved. WL
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Post by White Lightning on Feb 17, 2017 10:57:22 GMT
Round of 32 Thursday 16th February 2017 Krasnodar Stadium Krasnodar Krasnodar 1 - 0 Fenerbahçe AZ Stadion Alkmaar AZ 1 - 4 Lyon Borussia-Park Monchengladbach Monchengladbach 0 - 1 Fiorentina Olimp 2 Rostov-on-Don Rostov 4 - 0 Sparta Praha KAA Gent Stadium Ghent
Gent 1 - 0 Tottenham Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis Piraeus Olympiacos 0 - 0 Osmanlıspor Balaídos Vigo Celta 0 - 1 Shakhtar Donetsk Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski Sofia Ludogorets 1 - 2 København Marin Anastasovici Giurgiu Astra 2 - 2 Genk Stadio Toumba Salonika PAOK 0 - 3 Schalke Turner Stadium Beer Sheva H. Beer-Sheva 1 - 3 Beşiktaş Estadio de la Cerámica Villarreal Villarreal 0 - 4 Roma Old Trafford Manchester
Man. United 3 - 0 St-Étienne Constant Vanden Stock Stadium Brussels Anderlecht 2 - 0 Zenit Stadion Wojska Polskiego Warsaw Legia 0 - 0 Ajax Estadio de San Mamés Bilbao Athletic 3 - 2 APOEL WL
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Post by White Lightning on Feb 26, 2017 19:28:59 GMT
Round of 32 2nd Leg Wednesday 22nd February 2017 Arena AufSchalke Gelsenkirchen Schalke 1 - 1 PAOK Aggregate: 4 - 1 Schalke go through to next round Şükrü Saracoğlu Istanbul Fenerbahçe 1 - 1 Krasnodar Aggregate: 1 - 2 Krasnodar go through to next round Stade Geoffroy Guichard Saint-Etienne
St-Étienne 0 - 1 Man. United
Aggregate: 0-4 Man. United go through to next round Thursday 23rd February 2017 Osmanlı Stadı Ankara Osmanlıspor 0 - 3 Olympiacos Aggregate: 0 - 3 Olympiacos go through to next round Besiktas Arena Istanbul Beşiktaş 2 - 1 H. Beer-Sheva Aggregate: 5 - 2 Beşiktaş go through to next round Stadio Olimpico Rome Roma 0 - 1 Villarreal Aggregate: 4 - 1 Stadion Petrovskiy St Petersburg Zenit 3 - 1 Anderlecht Aggregate: 3 - 3 Amsterdam ArenA Amsterdam Ajax 1 - 0 Legia Aggregate: 1 - 0 Ajax go through to next round GSP Nicosia APOEL 2 - 0 Athletic Aggregate: 4 - 3 APOEL go through to next round Stade de Lyon Décines Lyon 7 - 1 AZ Aggregate: 11 - 2 Lyon go through to next round Stadio Artemio Franchi Florence Fiorentina 2 - 4 Mönchengladbach Aggregate: 3 - 4 Mönchengladbach go through to next round Generali Arena Prague Sparta Praha 1 - 1 Rostov Aggregate: 1 - 5 Rostov go through to next round Wembley Stadium London
Tottenham 2 - 2 Gent
Aggregate: 2 - 3 Gent go through to next round Metalist Stadium Kharkiv Shakhtar Donetsk 0 - 2 Celta Aggregate: 1 - 2 Celta win after extra time Parken Copenhagen København 0 - 0 Ludogorets Aggregate: 2 - 1 København go through to next round KRC Genk Arena Genk Genk 1 - 0 Astra Aggregate: 3 - 2 Genk go through to next round WL
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Post by White Lightning on Feb 26, 2017 19:40:13 GMT
UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw Friday 24th February 2017 The last 16 features an all-German tie, a Belgian head-to-head, free-scoring Lyon taking on free-scoring Roma and Manchester United versus the lowest-ranked side left in contention. Ties: 9th and 16th March Celta Vigo (ESP) v Krasnodar (RUS) Celta Vigo needed a 91st-minute penalty and extra time on Thursday to see off a Shakhtar side that started the night with a 100% record this campaign. Krasnodar reached the last 32 despite losing half of their group games. The club were only founded nine years ago! APOEL (CYP) v Anderlecht (BEL) Cypriot champions APOEL, UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists in 2011/12, are into the last 16 of this competition for the first time. Anderlecht, UEFA Cup winners in 1983, were heading out on Thursday until a 90th-minute winner took them through at the expense of Zenit. Schalke (GER) v Mönchengladbach (GER) Schalke and Mönchengladbach will face off three times in 13 days next month, as they also meet in the Bundesliga on 4th March. Schalke won 4 - 0 at home to Gladbach in October. Schalke are the top-ranked team left in the competition according to the UEFA coefficients. They lifted the UEFA Cup in 1996/97. Gladbach are one of four former winners still in contention, and the only one to do it twice: in 1975 and 1979. Lyon (FRA) v Roma (ITA) Lyon and Roma met in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League round of 16. A 0 - 0 draw in the Italian capital was followed by a 2 - 0 win for the Giallorossi in France. Lyon became the first side to score seven in one UEFA Europa League game when they beat AZ 7 - 1 on Thursday. With nearest rivals Giuliano and Aritz Aduriz now out, eight-goal Roma striker Edin Džeko is favourite to claim this season's top scorer prize. Rostov (RUS) v Manchester United (ENG) Rostov were the lowest-ranked club in the draw according to the UEFA coefficients. This is their second season in Europe. Manchester United are bidding to become one of just five clubs who have won the European Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League. Olympiacos (GRE) v Beşiktaş (TUR) Olympiacos eliminated another Turkish team, Osmanlıspor, in the round of 32. Turkish title holders Beşiktaş are seven matches unbeaten at home in European competition, drawing five of them. Gent (BEL) v Genk (BEL) Gent and Genk have already met twice in the league this term, with the home side winning on each occasion (1 - 0 for Gent in August, 2 - 0 for Genk in December). Gent conceded ten goals in two encounters with Shakhtar in the group stage but saw off Tottenham in front of an 80,000 Wembley crowd in the last 32. Genk are the longest surviving team in this tournament, having entered in the second qualifying round in July. København (DEN) v Ajax (NED) København are the only reigning domestic double winners in the competition and, 11 points clear in Denmark, are on course to repeat that feat. Excluding the five clubs that entered in the round of 32, Ajax are the last unbeaten side in the UEFA Europa League. © 1998-2017 UEFA. All rights reserved. WL
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Post by White Lightning on Mar 10, 2017 19:41:26 GMT
Round of 16 - 1st Leg Thursday 9th March 2017 Parken Copenhagen København 2 - 1 Ajax Olimp 2 Rostov-on-Don
Rostov 1 - 1 Man. United GSP Nicosia APOEL 0 - 1 Anderlecht KAA Gent Stadium Ghent Gent 2 - 5 Genk Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis Piraeus Olympiacos 1 - 1 Beşiktaş Stade de Lyon Décines Lyon 4 - 2 Roma Arena AufSchalke Gelsenkirchen Schalke 1 - 1 Mönchengladbach Balaídos Vigo Celta 2 - 1 Krasnodar WL
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Post by White Lightning on Mar 17, 2017 14:34:10 GMT
Round of 16 - 2nd Leg Thursday 16th March 2017 KRC Genk Arena Genk Genk 1 - 1 Gent Aggregate: 6 - 3 Genk go through to next round Besiktas Arena Istanbul Beşiktaş 4 - 1 Olympiacos Aggregate: 5 - 2 Beşiktaş go through to next round Krasnodar Stadium Krasnodar Krasnodar 0-2 Celta Aggregate: 1 - 4 Celta go through to next round Amsterdam ArenA Amsterdam Ajax 2 - 0 København Aggregate: 3 - 2 Ajax go through to next round Old Trafford Manchester
Man. United 1 - 0 Rostov
Aggregate: 2 - 1 Man. United go through to next round Stadio Olimpico Rome Roma 2 - 1 Lyon Aggregate: 4 - 5 Lyon go through to next round Borussia-Park Monchengladbach Monchengladbach 2 - 2 Schalke Aggregate: 3 - 3 Schalke win on away goals Constant Vanden Stock Stadium Brussels Anderlecht 1 - 0 APOEL Aggregate: 2 - 0 Anderlecht go through to next round WL
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Post by White Lightning on Mar 17, 2017 14:43:19 GMT
The UEFA Europa League quarter-finals have been confirmed following Friday's draw: Ajax v Schalke, Anderlecht v Manchester United, Celta Vigo v Genk, Lyon v Beşiktaş. UEFA Europa League quarter-final draw (ties take place on 13th and 20th April) Ajax (NED) v Schalke (GER) Anderlecht (BEL) v Manchester United (ENG)Celta Vigo (ESP) v Genk (BEL) Lyon (FRA) v Beşiktaş (TUR) Ajax v Schalke This is a meeting of two former winners – Ajax lifted the trophy in 1991/92, Schalke in 1996/97 Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar spent three seasons at Ajax, scoring more than 100 goals Ajax's last encounter with German opposition was against Borussia Dortmund in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage They lost 4 - 1 at home on that occasion, but have won 12/14 games against German clubs on their own turf Anderlecht v Manchester United Anderlecht have won three and lost three of their six matches against Manchester United That includes a 10 - 0 loss in Manchester in 1956/57 which remains Anderlecht's record European defeat Zlatan Ibrahimović scored four for Paris Saint-Germain against Anderlecht in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage Anderlecht have never won in 15 away games in England, losing 13 United beat Club Brugge 7 - 1 on aggregate in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League play-offs Celta v Genk Celta's only previous meetings with Belgian opposition were against Club Brugge in 2003/04 They drew 1 - 1 home and away in those UEFA Champions League group stage fixtures Genk lost 5 - 3 in Spain in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage, Aritz Aduriz scoring all Athletic Club's goals Lyon v Beşiktaş These two teams have never met before in a competitive fixture Lyon have not faced Turkish opposition since the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage They beat Fenerbahçe 3 - 1 in Istanbul and 4-2 at home Beşiktaş are unbeaten at home against French sides (W2 D1) but have lost on all three trips to France Where is the final? The Friends Arena in Solna, near the Swedish capital Stockholm and named after an anti-bullying campaign. Dates for your diary 13th April: Quarter-finals, first leg 20th April: Quarter-finals, second leg 21st April: Semi-final draw, Nyon 4th May: Semi-finals, first leg 11th May: Semi-finals, second leg 24th May: Final (Friends Arena, Solna) © 1998-2017 UEFA. All rights reserved. WL
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Post by White Lightning on Apr 18, 2017 18:22:35 GMT
Quarter Final 1st leg Thursday 13th April 2017 Stade de Lyon, Decines Lyon 2 - 1 Beşiktaş Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Ajax 2 - 0 Schalke Balaídos, Vigo Celta 3 - 2 Genk Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels
Anderlecht 1 - 1 Man. UnitedWL
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Post by White Lightning on Apr 23, 2017 11:40:11 GMT
Quarter Final 2nd leg Thursday 20th April 2017 Besiktas Arena, Istanbul Beşiktaş 2 - 1 Lyon Aggregate: 3 - 3 Lyon win on penalties (6 - 7) Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen Schalke 3 - 2 Ajax Aggregate: 3 - 4 Ajax win after extra time KRC Genk Arena, Genk Genk 1 - 1 Celta Aggregate: 3 - 4 Celta go through to next round Old Trafford, Manchester
Man. United 2 - 1 Anderlecht
Aggregate: 3 - 2 Man. United win after extra timeWL
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Post by White Lightning on Apr 23, 2017 11:44:24 GMT
Celta Vigo and Manchester United will meet for the first time in this season's UEFA Europa League semi-finals, with Ajax and Lyon drawn against each other in the other tie. UEFA Europa League semi-finals (first team listed plays first leg at home) Ajax v Olympique Lyonnais (Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 11th May) Celta Vigo v Manchester United (Thursday 4th and 11th May) Ajax v Lyon The duo's four previous meetings all came in the UEFA Champions League group stage Head-to-head record in Europe: P4, Ajax W2, Lyon W0, D2 Ajax won 2 - 1 at home and 2 - 0 away in 2002/03; the teams played out two 0 - 0 draws in 2011/12 Lyon beat Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar 11 - 2 on aggregate in this season's round of 32 Ajax are the only club to have won the UEFA Cup (1991/92) left in the competition Celta v Manchester United These teams have never met before in UEFA club competition United want to become just the fifth side in history to complete a European clean sweep Celta's record against English clubs is W5 D0 L4; they have lost their last three United's record against Spanish opposition is W12 D19 L16 Celta overcame England's Aston Villa 3 - 1 on aggregate in the 2000 Intertoto Cup semi-finals Celta forward Giuseppe Rossi was at Old Trafford from 2004 to 2007 The 2017 final An additional draw on Friday determined that the winner of the Ajax v Lyon tie will, for administrative purposes, be considered the home team in the final on Wednesday 24 May at Friends Arena in Solna, Stockholm. © 1998-2017 UEFA. All rights reserved. WL
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Post by White Lightning on May 12, 2017 9:03:20 GMT
Semi-Finals 1st Leg Wednesday 3rd May 2017 Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Ajax 4 - 1 Lyon Thursday 4th May 2017 Balaídos, Vigo
Celta 0 - 1 Man. UnitedSemi-Finals 2nd Leg Thursday 11th May 2017 Old Trafford, Manchester
Man. United 1 - 1 CeltaAggregate: 2-1 Man. United go through to next round Stade de Lyon, Decines Lyon 3 - 1 Ajax Aggregate: 4 - 5 Ajax go through to next round WL
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Post by White Lightning on May 26, 2017 19:21:05 GMT
Final, Stockholm Wednesday 24th May 2017 Ajax 0 - 2 Man. UnitedPaul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan struck as José Mourinho's side overpowered a youthful Ajax team in Stockholm to complete the set for Manchester United. Manchester United proved too strong for Ajax as a goal in each half won the 2017 UEFA Europa League to complete the English giants' set of major UEFA club competition trophies. Strikes from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan secured the victory in Stockholm but this was the consummate team performance, built on a formidable midfield engine room of Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini and Pogba. Ajax, whose starting XI averaged 22 years of age, had no answer. United were in the ascendancy from the off and never looked back after Pogba's 18th-minute shot took a wicked deflection off Davinson Sánchez and looped in. There were flashes of hope for the Dutch side, chiefly from Bertrand Traoré, but United were nigh on impenetrable. Mkhitaryan delivered the clinching blow moments into the second period, cleverly hooking in from a corner. There was no let-up in intensity, though, as José Mourinho's men sealed a pair of hat-tricks: three trophies for the season and the full set of UEFA knockout competition titles. Man of the match: Ander Herrera (Manchester United) The Spaniard has long been the unsung hero of this team and this was another selfless performance sat in front of the back four. He worked tirelessly throughout, mopping up and launching attacks with his fine distribution. When Pogba, who dropped alongside him in the closing stages, briefly left his post for a forward foray the disciplined Herrera called him right back. Reporters' views Tom Kell, Manchester United (@uefacomtomk) That was vintage Mourinho. United started quicker than some anticipated – make no mistake, this was no containment job – but always kept their shape and never really gave Ajax a sniff. They were solid in defence, both full-backs especially impressive, dominant in midfield – credit Herrera and Pogba in particular – and always had an outlet going forward. Their manager was animated throughout the game, but never more so than after the final whistle when he basked in the adoration of the crowd. He knows just how significant 24th May 2017 might prove to be in his career – this could be a real springboard for both him and the club. Derek Brookman, Ajax (@uefacomderekb) Obvious disappointment in the Ajax camp but coach Peter Bosz can have few quibbles; the better team clearly won. Ajax simply failed to stretch or open United up. However, Bosz can still take a few positives from tonight's defeat. Mathijs de Ligt looked comfortable in the heart of defence, Hakim Ziyech showed flashes of his talent and substitute Donny van de Beek acquitted himself well. If this young side can stay together then they have a very bright future. Reaction José Mourinho, Manchester United manager: "This is the most important trophy of my career because it's the last one I won. The feelings are under the skin and it's obviously a good feeling. For the team it means everything. It means a third trophy, a Champions League place, a Super Cup in Skopje." Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Manchester United forward: "To be honest, I shouldn't have been there [for the goal]. I should have been around the [edge of the] box, but as I had a yellow card, Ander Herrera said that it would be better if I got involved in the corner, stayed in front of the goalkeeper. I saw the ball coming, lifted my leg and scored such an amazing goal." Ander Herrera, Manchester United midfielder: "This was the game of the season – now we're talking about having a great season, winning three trophies. The manager told us that the only thing we could do after Monday [and the bombing in Manchester] was win this. It's only a football game, it's only a trophy, but it's something." Peter Bosz, Ajax coach: "We're obviously disappointed. I didn't see the Ajax team I'm used to, pressing and competing for first balls. We weren't good enough. Often, to win finals you must first lose them. It's all new for all my team. They will learn a lot from it and if we keep the squad together they will be stronger for it. © 1998-2017 UEFA. All rights reserved. WL
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