Manchester United’s Europa League campaign came to an end in disappointment as they suffered a 3-0 loss to Sevilla in the quarterfinals of the competition on Thursday. The Spanish team’s victory gave them a 5-2 aggregate scoreline, booking their place in the semifinals. Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen, and Roma also secured their spots in the next round.
Juventus secured their place in the semifinals with a 1-1 draw against Sporting in Lisbon, winning 2-1 on aggregate. The Italian team started quickly, with Adrian Rabiot scoring in the ninth minute. Manuel Ugarte was fouled by Rabiot in the penalty area, allowing Marcus Edwards to convert a penalty in the 20th minute. Sporting failed to find the net despite creating some good chances, and Juventus defended well to secure their place in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen had a convincing win in Brussels, with Moussa Diaby, Mitchel Bakker, and Adam Hlozek all scoring to seal a 4-1 aggregate victory over Union Saint-Gilloise. They will face Roma in the semifinals.
In the Europa Conference League, Fiorentina lost 3-2 to Lech Poznan but advanced 6-4 on aggregate, while West Ham beat Gent 4-1 to qualify 5-2 on aggregate. Nice was eliminated after losing 2-1 in extra time at home to Basel, with Kasim Adams scoring the decisive goal in the 98th minute.
Back in the Europa League, Manchester United had led by two goals in the first leg before conceding two late own goals. They completed their collapse in Spain, as goalkeeper David de Gea had a poor night, which made it easy for Sevilla to score three goals. In the first half, he gave the ball away to Youssef En-Nesyri, who capitalized on the opportunity, and in the second half, he sliced a dropping ball, allowing En-Nesyri to complete his brace.
Juventus, who saw their 15-point deduction in Serie A over the club’s transfer dealings scrapped earlier on Thursday pending a new trial, had earned a 1-0 victory in the first leg with a second-half goal by defender Federico Gatti. They will meet Sevilla in the semifinals, with the Italians at home first on May 11 before the return leg in Spain on May 18, after the Spanish side knocked out Manchester United 5-2 on aggregate.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance and revealed that he had expected to face Sevilla in the semifinals. The Italian coach noted that Sevilla is a tricky team and have an advantage as they have won so many Europa Leagues in the past.
Juventus took an early lead through Rabiot, who netted from close range after nine minutes following a corner. Sporting winger Marcus Edwards equalized from the penalty spot in the 20th minute when he sent Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way with a strike into the middle of the goal after Rabiot was penalized for a tackle on Manuel Ugarte.
After the break, Sporting pressed with confidence for possession but squandered three more opportunities to level the match. They have now completed a run of five home European matches without a win for the first time in the club’s history, having recorded two losses and two draws in their previous four. They have lost each of their last seven ties with Italian clubs.
