PSV beats Arsenal 2-0, Real Betis reaches round of 16 in Europa League

PSV's Luuk de Jong, left, celebrates with Ibrahim Sangare after scoring his side's second goal. (AP)
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Updated 28 October 2022
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PSV beats Arsenal 2-0, Real Betis reaches round of 16 in Europa League

PSV Eindhoven became the first team to hold Arsenal scoreless this season, beating the Gunners 2-0 on Thursday to keep alive the fight for first place in their Europa League group.
Joey Veerman and substitute Luuk de Jong scored in the second half for PSV to hand Premier League leader Arsenal only its second loss of the season in all competitions and first in the Europa League.
De Jong set up Veerman to shoot past Aaron Ramsdale from inside the area in the 56th minute before heading in the second seven minutes later.
PSV forward Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons had a goal each disallowed due to offside in the first half.
Arsenal still leads Group A with 12 points, with Eindhoven second on 10 with one round remaining. Both teams have qualified for the next stage, but the group winners advance directly to the last 16, while teams qualifying second go through an extra playoff round.
Those in third place drop into the third-tier Europa Conference League.
Real Betis secured first place in Group C after a 1-0 victory at Ludogorets, with Nabil Fekir scoring the winner. The Spanish club has 13 points while Ludogorets is second, six points behind.
Fenerbahçe staged a late come back to salvage a 3-3 home draw against Rennes with both sides already qualified from Group B.
Amine Gouiri netted twice and Martin Terrier added one in the opening 30 minutes to put the visitors on course to win the group. The Turkish side replied with a goal from Enner Valencia still in the first half before substitutes Miha Zajc and Emre Mor scored in the 82nd and 88th, respectively. Both teams are on 11 points ahead of the final round of games.
Teddy Teuma and Lazare Amani scored in the first half to lead Belgian club Union SG to the round of 16 from Group D after a 2-0 victory at Malmö.
Union SG tops the group with 13 points with Bundesliga leader Union Berlin moving to second with nine points after a 1-0 home win over Braga, which is third on six.
Lazio came from a goal down to beat Midtjylland 2-1 to take a provisional three-point lead in the tightly contested Group F. Sergej Milinković-Savić and Pedro Rodríguez replied after an opening goal by Gustav Isaksen for the Danish side. All four teams in the group were on five points before the fifth round of matches. Sturm hosted Feyenoord later in the group’s other game.
PSV was punished earlier Thursday for fan disorder inside Arsenal’s stadium in their previous meeting, which Arsenal won 1-0.
UEFA banned PSV from selling tickets to its fans for the team’s game in Norway next week against Bodø/Glimt.
The Dutch club must also pay a fine of 40,000 euros ($40,000) and compensate Arsenal for damage to seats in the stadium last week.

Europa Conference League
Fiorentina came from a goal down to beat İstanbul Başakşehir 2-1 and draw level with their Turkish opponent atop Group A with 10 points. Both teams mede it to the next round.
Villarreal’s perfect record came to an end after it was held 2-2 at home by Hapoel Beer-Sheva. But the Spanish club was already assured of qualifying in first place from Group C and avoiding the extra playoff round.
AZ Alkmaar had a five-point lead atop Group E after a 2-0 away win at Vaduz.
The kickoff of the Group D match between Czech side Slovácko and Cologne was initially delayed by 75 minutes due to heavy fog. But six minutes after the game started the fog again made it impossible to play. The match is scheduled to resume on Friday at 1 p.m. (1100 GMT).


Real head coach Alonso expecting tough Spanish Super Cup 2026 semi with city neighbors

Updated 5 sec ago
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Real head coach Alonso expecting tough Spanish Super Cup 2026 semi with city neighbors

  • Alonso told the press that Real Madrid will be able to present a better image of themselves than the one from the 5-2 La Liga defeat to Atletico
  • Diego Simeone: I have confidence in my players and we are all looking forward to winning and qualifying for the final match

JEDDAH: Xabi Alonso, the head coach of Real Madrid, is preparing for a tough match against Atletico Madrid in the semifinal match of Spanish Super Cup 2026 held in Jeddah.

He emphasized his confidence in his team and his determination to win and qualify to the final match on Sunday.

In a pre-match press conference on Wednesday held in Jeddah, Alonso told the press that Real Madrid will be able to present a better image of themselves than the one from the 5-2 defeat to Atletico.

“It’s a semifinal match, we have to be very well prepared mentally and compete. Pay attention to the small details. They’re always a tough opponent, but we have energy and desire. It’s the first title of the season, and that’s why it’s the most important.”

Speaking about the previous loss against Atletico Madrid, he said: “We don’t want to repeat what happened back then, I’m convinced this time will be different.”

Alonso was accompanied by Jude Bellingham who also expressed his teammates’ preparation for the Madrid’s derby, he said: “They are a tough opponent. We have to learn from that league match against them, our first defeat of the season.”

Bellingham spoke about whether Real Madrid players had revenge on their mind heading into the derby, “We know how important this match is, especially after that 5-2 loss. So, we have to play with heart and mind.”

Asked about his opinion on the 2034 World Cup to be held here in Saudi Arabia, he commented: “I think they are capable of organizing such an event because they have solid infrastructure.”

He praised the facilities and stadiums, describing them as being of a high standard, stressing that the atmosphere is suitable to major matches and large crowds, noting that his experience in the past two seasons was wonderful, while wishing to return to Saudi Arabia time and time again in light of the continuous development.

Earlier on Wednesday, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone and midfielder Koke held a pre-match press conference.

Koke talked about his legacy in the Madrid derby, as he is going to be the player with the most official derbies played in history.

“I haven’t thought about it. It’s always special to play a derby, to play a semifinal,” Koke said.

“In a semifinal against Real Madrid, there’s not much more motivation than winning,” he added.

Meanwhile, Simeone told the press that they are preparing for a tough match against Real Mad.

“I have confidence in my players and we are all looking forward to winning and qualifying for the final match,” he said.

Speaking about organizing the 20234 World Cup by Saudi Arabia, the Argentina coach said: ” It is always great to be here and we have been receiving great hospitality since we arrived. In addition the Saudis have been kind and respectful. I believe we will have a wonderful World Cup here in Saudi Arabia.”