Six-time champion Sevilla eliminated Manchester United from the Europa League on Thursday after a 3-0 victory in the second leg of their quarterfinal.
United had beaten Barcelona and Real Betis earlier in Europe’s second-tier competition but couldn’t keep up with Sevilla — currently 13th in the Spanish league — at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium.
Forward Youssef En-Nesyri scored twice and Sevilla advanced to the semifinals 5-2 on aggregate after last week’s 2-2 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford.
Under pressure, United defender Harry Maguire lost the ball outside the area and En-Nesyri scored on a low left-footed shot into the corner past goalkeeper David de Gea in the eighth minute.
Defender Loïc Badé headed home two minutes into the second half and En-Nesyri made it 3-0 late on after De Gea’s blunder.
The Spaniards also eliminated United in the semifinals of the same competition in 2020.
Sevilla will face Juventus in the last four following the Italian team’s 1-1 draw at Sporting in Lisbon for a 2-1 aggregate victory.
United manager Erik ten Hag made only one change to the squad that beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 in the English Premier League on Sunday. Marcel Sabitzer replaced playmaker Bruno Fernandes, who was suspended after an accumulation of yellow cards. Sabitzer had scored both United goals in the first leg against Sevilla.
EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE
Fiorentina had to rely on late goals by Riccardo Sottil and substitute Gaetano Castrovilli to reach the semifinals of the Europa Conference League despite a 3-2 home loss to Lech Poznan.
The Serie A club advanced 6-4 on aggregate after a comfortable 4-1 advantage from the first leg in Poland.
The visitors pulled even at 4-4 on aggregate when Artur Sobiech scored in the 69th minute in Florence. Afonso Sousa and Kristoffer Velde had scored earlier.
Sottil returned the overall lead to the home team 12 minutes from time with Castrovilli adding one more in stoppage time.
In another early game, AZ Alkmaar prevailed in a penalty shootout 4-1 over Anderlecht to reach the last four after a 2-0 home victory. Their quarterfinal matchup was 2-2 on aggregate after regulation and extra time.
AZ Alkmaar center forward Vangelis Pavlidis scored twice in the opening 13 minutes to erase Anderlecht’s 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
Pavlidis scored his first from the penalty spot five minutes into the game and leveled the aggregate score only eight minutes later. He was substituted at halftime due to an injury.
Fiorentina will next face either Nice or Basel. AZ will play either West Ham or Gent.
The remaining quarterfinals in Europe’s third-tier competition were scheduled for later Thursday.
Sevilla tops Man United in Europa League, gets Juventus in semis
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Sevilla tops Man United in Europa League, gets Juventus in semis
- Sevilla will face Juventus in the last four following the Italian team’s 1-1 draw at Sporting in Lisbon for a 2-1 aggregate victory
Rabiot double lifts Milan after early scare at Como
- Milan are second in the standings on 43 points, three behind rivals Inter Milan and three clear of Napoli in third, while Como are sixth with 34 points
COMO, Italy: AC Milan came from behind to earn a 3-1 victory at Como on Thursday, with Adrien Rabiot scoring twice to keep the away side in the Serie A title race.
Milan are second in the standings on 43 points, three behind rivals Inter Milan and three clear of Napoli in third, while Como are sixth with 34 points.
Como made the brighter start and took the lead after 10 minutes when Marc-Oliver Kempf rose to head home a corner.
Despite the hosts controlling much of the first half, Milan struck in stoppage time as Christopher Nkunku calmly converted from the penalty spot after Kempf was penalized for pushing Rabiot.
Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced a series of strong saves to keep Como at bay after the break before Milan took the lead in the 55th minute when Rabiot knocked the ball in from close range.
Como were denied an equalizer as Nico Paz saw his effort from outside the box crash against the crossbar. Milan then sealed the win two minutes from time when Rabiot caught the Como defense off guard with a low strike from distance that crept into the bottom corner.
“This was a team victory, we showed our mentality,” Rabiot told DAZN after being named Man of the Match.
“We suffered a lot in the first half, but we talked during the break, came out with a different mentality, we all came out fighting for the three points.
“We gave something extra and I am very happy to score two goals, obviously, but above all I’m pleased with the mentality of the team.”
While Rabiot provided the goals, another Frenchman, goalkeeper Maignan, made his mark with a string of crucial saves.
“We knew that playing here would be difficult, we were well-prepared. We started a little sluggish and they scored, but we managed to keep the game open, and then all together started to play as a team,” Maignan said.
“We know these are great nights for Milan with an atmosphere like this. We suffered, we used up a lot of energy and left it all on the field.”
