Tag: Manchester United

Man United to face Granada in Europa League quarter-finals | Football News – Times of India

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PARIS: Manchester United were paired with Spanish side Granada in Friday’s draw for the quarter-finals of the Europa League, while Arsenal will take on Slavia Prague.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United, who beat AC Milan in the last 16, are due to play away in the first leg on April 8 but it remains to be seen where that match will take place.
The Old Trafford club faced Spanish opponents in Real Sociedad in the last 32 but the first leg of that tie was moved to Turin in Italy because of restrictions on travel from the UK to Spain as a result of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Ajax will face Roma with the winners of that quarter-final playing either United or Granada in the last four. United beat Ajax in the 2017 Europa League final.
Arsenal are set to host Slavia in the first leg of their quarter-final and will be wary of the runaway Czech league leaders who have eliminated Leicester City and Scottish champions Rangers in the last two rounds.
However if the Gunners get through they could face their former coach Unai Emery in the semi-finals.
Emery’s Villarreal will take on Dinamo Zagreb, last-16 conquerors of Tottenham Hotspur, in the other quarter-final.

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Paul Pogba goal sends Manchester United into Europa League last eight | Football News – Times of India

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MILAN: Manchester United reached the Europa League quarter-finals after a brilliantly-taken Paul Pogba goal earned them a 1-0 win at AC Milan to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory in their last-16 tie on Thursday.
Pogba came off the bench at halftime to make his first appearance for United since Feb. 6, and the France midfielder made an immediate impact as he turned the tie in his side’s favour three minutes after the break with a fine goal.

Former United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic came on as a substitute to try to drag Milan back into the match, and he almost equalised in the 74th minute but was denied by a good save from the visitors’ goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Milan applied plenty of late pressure but United held on to remain in the hunt to win their first trophy since a Europa League success under Jose Mourinho in 2017.



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‘We can rest when we retire’: Marcus Rashford rejects burnout fears

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With 46 appearances for his club and his country in less than six months, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is pushing his body to the limit in a condensed soccer season like no other.

He’d have it no other way.

“It’s the life of a footballer… we can rest when we retire,” Rashford said Wednesday, a day before appearance No. 47 when United plays AC Milan in the highest-profile match in the Europa League’s last 16.

“For now, I’m happy playing as many games as I can.”

There’s a chance, if United goes deep in the Europa League and the FA Cup, of a further 18 matches for his club this season. Throw in England’s three World Cup qualifiers this month as well as the European Championship starting in June, and no wonder there are fears of burnout when it comes to Rashford and United’s other stars like Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire.

Rashford is reportedly delaying surgery on a nagging shoulder injury until after Euro 2020 and said he was happy to play through the pain barrier.

“I just focus on the next game at hand, that’s just the way I deal with it,” he said. “What’s needed after, we’ll deal with after. My main focus is just being available for the games as much as I can.”

“I know my body and I know what I can do physically.”

Indeed, his priority is winning trophies with United, which hasn’t happened for nearly four years now since capturing the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

United’s chances of silverware this season rest on the Europa League — the team is tied 1-1 with Milan heading into the second leg in Italy on Thursday — and the FA Cup, where Leicester lies in wait in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the semifinals have been the ceiling for United in cup competitions and Rashford said it’s time to put that right.

“We unfortunately got kicked out of the Champions League and our focus was to win the Europa League,” he said, “and we are not going to be happy with anything less than that.”

“That is the atmosphere and culture at this club,” he added.

Solskjaer sees being second in the Premier League, 14 points behind champion-elect Manchester City, as a sign of progress by United given his team finished in third place last season, 33 points behind first-place Liverpool. He pointed out United has 12 more points in the league compared to this stage last season.

“Sometimes a trophy can hide the other facts that are happening in the club,” he said.

“It’s in the league you see if you are progressing, really. Sometimes in the cup competitions, you might be lucky, you might be unlucky.”

“Any cup competition can give you a trophy, but sometimes it is more of an ego thing for managers and clubs.”

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Stage set for Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return in AC Milan’s decider with Manchester United | Football News – Times of India

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PARIS: Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks set to face Manchester United in AC Milan‘s Europa League showdown with the English giants on Thursday as the resurgent ‘Rossoneri’ aim to announce their return to the big stage.
The Swede should be in good spirits after announcing his return to international football after nearly five years away on Tuesday, and appears to be winning the race to face his old club in the second leg of their last-16 clash at the San Siro.
The tie is locked at 1-1, with Milan having the slight advantage thanks to Simon Kjaer’s stoppage-time away goal in the first leg at Old Trafford last week.
Italian media reported on Tuesday that the veteran forward trained with the rest of the Milan squad and should be available for the first time since he left his side’s 2-1 win at Roma with a thigh injury at the end of last month.
Since then he has made headlines on a different kind of stage, co-hosting the Sanremo music festival which is possibly Italy’s biggest pop cultural event.
With 14 goals in 14 league games, the 39-year-old was a major reason behind Milan occupying top spot in Serie A for large periods of this season and his return to Old Trafford for the first leg had been highly anticipated before he picked up his injury.
Coach Stefano Pioli knows that he doesn’t need Ibrahimovic to get past United after a superb display in Manchester last week, and his side could well start the game with their talisman on the bench.
However to ensure passage to the last eight, Milan will need to turn around a dismal recent record at the San Siro which has contributed to their slipping nine points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan having been top themselves little more than a month ago.
Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Napoli was their fourth straight match without a win at the San Siro, preceded by draws against Udinese and Red Star Belgrade and a 3-0 derby thumping at the hands of Inter.
Five defeats in 13 league matches in 2021 also has second-placed Milan looking over their shoulders at a series of rivals for a place in the Champions League, a competition in which the seven-time European champions have not played since 2014.
The next few days will also be crucial for United’s chances of silverware this season.
They follow their trip to Italy with an FA Cup quarter-final at Leicester City on Sunday, putting their season at a crossroads with Manchester City 14 points clear of their local rivals at the top of the Premier League.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has Marcus Rashford back after the England forward played the full 90 minutes of their 1-0 win over West Ham at the weekend.
Of the remaining ties, only Rangers’ with Slavia Prague looks to be in the balance as they will kick off at Ibrox all square at 1-1 following their draw in the Czech Republic last week.
Steven Gerrard’s side have already been crowned Scottish champions, although they will also have one eye on the Old Firm derby with Celtic at the weekend.
Four-time European champions Ajax and Roma are both virtually assured of passage into the next round as they are 3-0 ahead in their ties with Young Boys and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Also strong favourites to go through are Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Villarreal and Granada thanks to their two-goal leads going into their second-leg matches.
Olympiakos head to the Emirates to face Arsenal, who are fresh from a derby triumph over Tottenham, but face a battle at 3-1 down.

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Pele congratulates hat-trick hero Ronaldo for breaking his record | Football News – Times of India

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MILAN: Pele on Sunday congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo for ‘breaking his record’ of goals scored in official matches.
Portuguese star Ronaldo hit a hat-trick for Juventus in a 3-1 Serie A win over Cagliari to bring his total to 770 goals.

The 36-year-old took to Instagram to tell his 270 million followers he could now claim the record, having matched Pele’s 767 on March 2.
“I’m filled with joy and pride as I acknowledge the goal that puts me on top of the World’s goal scoring list, overcoming Pele’s record, something that I could never have dreamed of while growing up as a child from Madeira,” Ronaldo wrote.

Brazilian great Pele, 80, wrote on Instagram to his 5.8 million followers: “Congratulations on breaking my record of goals in official matches.
“I admire you a lot, I love watching you play and this is no secret to anyone.
“My only regret is not being able to give you a hug today.”
“Cristiano life is a solo flight. Each makes his own journey. And what a beautiful journey you are having!”

Pele — the only player in history to win three World Cups — has claimed to have scored 1,283 goals in total, including in unofficial matches.
Ronaldo’s goals include 668 for club sides — five with Sporting Lisbon, 118 for Manchester United, 450 for Real Madrid and 95 for Juventus. He has also scored 120 for Portugal.
Some media however put Czech Josef Bican on 805 goals, ahead of both Ronaldo and Pele.
Former Brazilian striker Romario also claims to have scored 1,000 career goals including unofficial matches. Other sources attribute 772 to him.

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Ronaldo warns ‘true champions never break’ after European flop | Football News – Times of India

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MILAN: Cristiano Ronaldo warned that “true champions never break” as he turned his focus to Juventus‘s Serie A match at Cagliari on Sunday after their early Champions League elimination.
“True champions never break! Our focus is already in Cagliari, in the Serie A struggle, in the Italian Cup final and in everything that we can still achieve this season,” Ronaldo said on Instagram, the first time he has spoken since Juventus crashed out of the last 16 to Porto.
“More important than the number of falls you take in life, is how fast and how strong you get back on your feet.”
Ronaldo’s future at Juventus is in the spotlight after a third Champions League failure since he was signed for 100 million euros ($117 million) in the summer of 2018 from Real Madrid.

“It’s true that the past belongs in museums (I should say!), but fortunately, football has memory… and so do I,” the 36-year-old continued.
Ronaldo is the record scorer in the competition with 134 goals, and has lifted the trophy five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid.
But the Portuguese forward failed to score in either leg of a knockout round for the first time in 16 years.

He added: “History can’t be deleted, it’s written every single day with resilience, team spirit, persistence and lots of hard work. And those who don’t understand this, will never achieve glory and success.”
Juventus are third in Serie A — 10 points behind leaders Inter Milan — but with a game in hand as they target a 10th consecutive league title.
They are also through to the Italian Cup final.
“Ronaldo is fine, it’s normal that he is disappointed the other night like the whole team,” said coach Andrea Pirlo before Sunday’s game in Sardinia.
“Ronaldo trained well, he recovered to play tomorrow.
“It is normal for there to be rumours after the elimination because he is the most important figure in the world of football together with (Lionel) Messi and always makes people talk about him, but let’s remember that he has always done well, scoring over 90 goals in 100 games.
“It may happen that he doesn’t score in a match and it happens to the others too, but with him it makes more noise.”
Pirlo added: “We trained together and went back to work. We will face a Cagliari team that has recently changed its coach and has immediately achieved excellent results.
“So it will be an important match and it will take great pride and team spirit for us to play a good match.”

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EPL: Manchester United end City’s winning streak with derby victory | Football News – Times of India

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MANCHESTER (England): Manchester City‘s 21-match winning streak was ended by rivals Manchester United on Sunday with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side enjoying a 2-0 Premier League derby win at the Etihad Stadium.
The result narrows City’s lead over United at the top of the table to 11 points with 10 games remaining and was City’s first defeat in all competitions since November 21.
City were stunned after just 34 seconds when referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the penalty spot after Gabriel Jesus brought down Anthony Martial just inside the box.
Bruno Fernandes took the penalty with Ederson getting his right hand to the shot which squeezed in the corner to give the visitors the lead.
Luke Shaw had a great chance to double their advantage shortly after the opener but the fullback shot straight at Ederson from a good position in the box.
City had an appeal for a penalty turned down when Raheem Sterling tangled with Fred in the area and Riyad Mahrez went close just before the break.
United, tactically and defensively solid throughout, doubled their lead when keeper Dean Henderson threw a clever and fast ball out to Shaw who burst past two City defenders and after a swift exchange with Marcus Rashford, drove into the bottom far-corner.

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‘Like a lion’ Sanchez hits brace to send Inter six points clear | Football News – Times of India

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MILAN: Alexis Sanchez struck twice in the second half for his first brace in the Inter Milan jersey as his side moved six points clear at the top of Serie A with a 2-1 win over Parma on Thursday.
Romelu Lukaku had a role in both the goals by his former Manchester United teammate to give Antonio Conte‘s side a sixth consecutive league win.
Inter pull clear of second-placed Milan who were held 1-1 against Udinese on Wednesday with champions Juventus a further four points adrift with a game in hand.
“The improvement over last year is obvious, but there are 13 games left and in Serie A each is a battle,” warned Conte.
Chilean Sanchez started up front in place of Lautaro Martinez to lead the Inter attack alongside Lukaku.
“I think I’m a very democratic coach, in the sense that I don’t give anything to anyone,” continued Conte who led Inter to second place in Serie A in his first season in charge last year.
“There is a team and the individual comes later.
“(Sanchez) is in the best condition we’ve ever seen him,” continued Conte. “And now Romelu and Lautaro know that Sanchez is right behind them too.
“I’m happy because my kids are showing great application and resilience.”
Both sides had their chances in the first half at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
Christian Eriksen missed the chance to tap in for Inter in front of an open goal after half an hour following good work from Achraf Hakimi.
Parma ‘keeper Luigi Sepe denied Lukaku with the Belgian nodding just wide off an Ivan Perisic cross just before the break.
At the other end of the pitch Samir Handanovic did well to keep out a close range Jasmin Kurtic header with Dennis Man also nodding wide.
Sanchez struck for the second consecutive league game nine minutes after the break.
Lukaku chested down a Marcelo Brozovic through ball with a back-heel towards goal which a racing Sanchez picked up to blast past Sepe.
Eight minutes later the Chilean got the second, finishing off a Lukaku cross for the former Manchester United player’s first brace since joining Inter last season.
It was his third goal in two consecutive games to bring his tally to five this season, one more than his first season.
Brazilian Hernani pulled one back for Parma in the 71st minute, connecting with a Giuseppe Pezzella cross to volley in past Handanovic.
Inter held on for the three points to give themselves a cushion going into Monday’s league game against fourth-placed Atalanta.
“I’m like a lion that always wants to play but I make my experience available to the coach,” said Sanchez who has scored five goals this campaign, one more than last season.
“We have to fight for the Scudetto,” added Sanchez as Inter target their first title since 2010 having finished second last season.
“The players have grown a lot, since we lost the Europa League final we have improved a lot.
“We are overcoming those steps that Inter were missing.”
Parma are second from bottom of the table extending their winless run to 16 consecutive league games.

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Premier League: Toothless Man United held to goalless draw at Palace | Football News – Times of India

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LONDON: Manchester United suffered another blow to their fading Premier League title hopes after a dour 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Wednesday left them 14 points behind Manchester City ahead of Sunday’s derby.
Runaway leaders City have 65 points from 27 games and are in a commanding position after second-placed United lacked edge in foggy conditions at Selhurst Park, failing to break down a resolute Palace who had the game’s best chances.
It was a third successive 0-0 draw for United after a stalemate at Chelsea on Sunday and against Real Sociedad last Thursday which completed a 4-0 aggregate win over the Spanish side in the Europa League.
Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic, picked by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of Scott McTominay, conceded United were too cagey.
“We have to do much better, we have to risk more in attack to create chances,” the Serbian told Sky Sports.
“We are Manchester United, we have to win this kind of game. On Sunday we have a big game against Manchester City and we have to refocus for that.
“When we don’t win we are frustrated. The feeling in the dressing room wasn’t great. If we need to take some positives, it’s a clean sheet.”
United were on the front foot for much of the game but their influential playmaker Bruno Fernandes failed to make any impact and the best chance fell to Palace, whose left back Patrick van Aanholt squandered a 90th-minute sitter.
United striker Edinson Cavani was a surprise starter after missing the last four games with a muscle injury and he spurned a gilt-edged chance in the 14th minute when he skied a close-range shot over the bar.
Matic and Marcus Rashford also went close for United in the first half before a superb Joel Ward clearance denied Cavani a tap-in from three metres in the 44th minute.
Andros Townsend fired just wide for Palace on the hour before Dean Henderson thwarted Van Aanholt after a lovely through ball by Luka Milivojevic left the Palace defender one-on-one with the United goalkeeper.
Solskjaer was frustrated after a toothless performance by his weary-looking side.
“It’s disappointing and if you’re not spot on you won’t win games,” he said. “We kept giving the ball away. Then you don’t build momentum and that’s the game you get.”

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