Bruno Fernandes does not think European exploits played a part in United loss
Frustrated captain Bruno Fernandes does not believe Europa League final preparations can be used to excuse misfiring Manchester United’s home defeat to West Ham.
Europa League Sport News
Ruben Amorim defends prioritising Europa League amid Roy Keane criticism
Ruben Amorim says Manchester United’s Premier League performances warrant criticism from the likes of Roy Keane but feels he has to play smart and take risks ahead of their make-or-break Europa League final.
Belal Muhammad confident vs. Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315
The UFC is back in Montreal for the first time in a decade on Saturday night with a pair of title fights, which includes welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and No. 5-ranked Australian challenger Jack Della Maddalena topping the 12-fight card for UFC 315. Muhammad is making his first title defense after suffering an injury late last year.
Keith Mitchell opens with 61, leads Truist Championship
FLOURTOWN, Pennsylvania: Keith Mitchell used a late birdie run to shoot a 9-under-par 61 and take the early lead at the Truist Championship on Thursday in Flourtown, Pennsylvania.
Jeeno Thitikul happy to see putts go in and lead at Liberty National with a 64
JERSEY CITY, N.J.: Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand feels so much better when she sees putts going in, and Thursday was a happy occasion at the Mizuho Americas Open. She took only 26 putts, eight of them for birdie, in a clean start of 8-under 64 to lead by two shots.
Clasico the last chance saloon for Ancelotti’s Real Madrid
BARCELONA: Real Madrid’s season appeared disastrous a few weeks ago but if Carlo Ancelotti’s side can finally beat rivals Barcelona in Sunday’s La Liga Clasico, their title defense will be resuscitated. Madrid were left licking their wounds after a Champions League quarter-final thrashing by Arsenal, and coach Ancelotti is poised to depart at the end of the season, but it could yet be with a major trophy in his hands. Barcelona’s European exit at the hands of Inter Milan on Tuesday brightened spirits in the Spanish capital and if Madrid can overhaul the Catalans at the top of the table, they could transform their season. The nature of Madrid’s rivalry with Barcelona means winning La Liga could either feel great or underwhelming, depending on how their nemesis fares in Europe. With Barcelona’s quadruple dream crushed by Inter, should Madrid defend their title they could even classify their season as a success. The Catalans, who currently lead by four points with four matches remaining, would be left with only the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup, both of which they won by beating Real Madrid in the final. To do that Madrid must manage something they have not been able to pull off all season — winning a Clasico. “We will have a great opportunity, we have to prepare well — it’s an almost decisive match,” said Ancelotti. The teams have faced off three times and Barcelona triumphed on each occasion, in the two aforementioned finals and in the first league clash at the Santiago Bernabeu in October. Barcelona netted 12 goals across the four games, conceding four, with Hansi Flick’s side outplaying Madrid on each occasion. However their meeting in Seville in April in the Copa del Rey final was the closest Ancelotti’s team
Man United and Tottenham reach Europa League final and are one win away from Champions League
MANCHESTER, England: For Manchester United or Tottenham, a miserable campaign will end in Europa League glory. Despite both teams languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, the Champions League is now just one game away. That’s the reward on offer after the two troubled English clubs advanced to the final of Europe’s second tier competition on Thursday. United beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the semifinal second leg at Old Trafford and won 7-1 on aggregate. Tottenham won 2-0 away at Bodø/Glimt to seal a 5-1 aggregate victory. It sets up an all-English Europa League final for the second time in six years after Chelsea beat Arsenal to lift the trophy in 2019. United came back from 1-0 down against Bilbao, with Mason Mount coming off the bench to score twice in the second half.
Chelsea ease past Djurgarden to reach Conference League final
LONDON: Chelsea advanced to the final of the UEFA Conference League after a 1-0 win over Swedish side Djurgarden on Thursday sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory in their last-four tie. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struck the only goal at Stamford Bridge late in the first half on a night 16-year-old Reggie Walsh became the youngest player to start a European game for Chelsea. The Blues can become the first club to win all three of UEFA’s current competitions if they beat either two-time runners-up Fiorentina or Real Betis in Wroclaw on May 28. Defender Marc Cucurella was the only player retained from the team that beat Liverpool in the Premier League last weekend as manager Enzo Maresca made sweeping changes to his line-up with an eye on Sunday’s crucial game at Newcastle. The Italian has been criticized for his cautious tactics but he has fifth-placed Chelsea on course to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish in England. Teenage midfielder Walsh made his debut off the bench in the 4-1 win in Stockholm a week ago as Chelsea seized control of the tie, but that result didn’t deter some 6,000 Djurgarden fans from making the trip to London for the second leg. Dewsbury-Hall and Tyrique George forced saves from Djurgarden goalkeeper Jacob Rinne before the two Chelsea players combined to put the hosts in front in the 38th minute. George threaded a pass through for Dewsbury-Hall who accelerated past a couple of defenders before sweeping in a crisp finish via the base of the post. That goal killed off any remote hopes for Djurgarden, the first Swedish club to appear in a European semifinal since Gothenburg won the 1986-87 UEFA Cup. Dewsbury-Hall had a chance to double his tally when he headed Malo Gusto’s cross straight at