AC Milan beat Slavia, West Ham rout Freiburg to cruise into Europa League quarterfinals

AC Milan beat Slavia, West Ham rout Freiburg to cruise into Europa League quarterfinals
AC Milan’s French goalkeeper Mike Maignan and French midfielder Yacine Adli react during their UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg match against Slavia Prague in Prague on Mar.14, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 15 March 2024
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AC Milan beat Slavia, West Ham rout Freiburg to cruise into Europa League quarterfinals

AC Milan beat Slavia, West Ham rout Freiburg to cruise into Europa League quarterfinals
  • The seven-time European champion have never won the second-tier Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup
  • West Ham made the last eight by routing Freiburg 5-0 at London Stadium

MILAN: AC Milan cruised past 10-man Slavia Prague 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League on Thursday.
Milan advanced 7-3 on aggregate after winning the first leg of the last 16 tie 4-2 at San Siro a week ago.
The seven-time European champion have never won the second-tier Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup.
The competition gives the Italian powerhouse their only realistic chance to win a trophy this season after they were eliminated from the Italian Cup and currently trails Serie A leader Inter Milan by 16 points.
Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rafael Leão put the result in the second leg beyond doubt with first-half goals in Prague.
Pulisic netted from 10 meters with a low shot to open the scoring in the 33rd minute and Loftus-Cheek tapped in the second into an empty net off a precise cross from Theo Hernández before Leão curled a right-footed drive from outside the area into the top right corner in first-half stoppage time.
Slavia got a consolation goal from substitute Matěj Jurásek.
Pulisic now has 11 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions in the US international’s first campaign with the Rossoneri to match his most productive season — the 2019-20 campaign at Chelsea.
Slavia’s early pressure lost steam after captain Tomáš Holeš received a straight red card in the 20th minute for fouling his counterpart Davide Calabria.
Milan first-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan was injured early and was replaced by Marco Sportiello.
West Ham made the last eight by routing Freiburg 5-0 at London Stadium.
The Hammers reversed the first leg 1-0 defeat with the first-half goals from Lucas Paquetá and Jarrod Bowen.
Paquetá netted from close range after Tomáš Souček headed to him from a corner less than 10 minutes into the game. Bowen doubled the advantage in the 32nd.
Aaron Cresswell made it 3-0 early in the second half before Mohammed Kudus completed the rout with two late goals.
West Ham, last year’s Europa Conference League champion, have won 11 straight home games in European competitions in the last two seasons.
Marseille nearly blew a 4-0 lead from the first leg against Villarreal, which scored three goals Thursday before Jonathan Clauss netted in stoppage-time for the French visitors to seal a 5-3 aggregate victory despite a 3-1 loss on the evening.
Étienne Capoue, Alexander Sørloth and Yerson Mosquera scored to hand Marseille their first defeat since coach Jean-Louis Gasset took charge after five wins.
Benfica advanced after a 1-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox Stadium in Glagow. Rafa Silva scored in the 66th minute and the Lisbon team held on after the sides drew 2-2 last week.
The quarterfinals draw is scheduled for Friday.
EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE
In the third-tier competition, Maccabi Haifa held Fiorentina 1-1 but the Italian team — last year’s runner-up — advanced to the quarterfinals on a 5-4 aggregate score.
Viktoria Plzeň prevailed 3-1 on penalties over Servette after they played both legs and extra time without scoring a goal.
Greece’s PAOK recovered from a 2-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb in the opening leg with a 5-1 home win to earn a place in the last eight.
Fenerbahce advanced despite a 1-0 home loss to Union Saint-Gilloise after taking 3-0 the first leg.


Judge me at the end of the season, says under-fire Man Utd boss Ten Hag

Judge me at the end of the season, says under-fire Man Utd boss Ten Hag
Updated 2 min 7 sec ago
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Judge me at the end of the season, says under-fire Man Utd boss Ten Hag

Judge me at the end of the season, says under-fire Man Utd boss Ten Hag

PORTO, Portugal: Erik ten Hag pleaded to be given until the end of the season as Manchester United boss after needing a late Harry Maguire equalizer to salvage a 3-3 draw at Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.
Ten Hag was under major pressure before the trip to Portugal after just two wins from United’s first six Premier League fixtures of the season left them languishing in 13th place in the table.
The Red Devils have also drawn their opening two Europa League games to sit 21st in the 36-team table.
“We will get there, don’t judge us in this moment,” said Ten Hag.
“Judge us in the end of the season. We will improve, we have two seasons where we achieved finals. Just wait, we will develop and progress this team.”
Ten Hag has fiercely defended his record after winning the League Cup and FA Cup in his first two seasons in charge at Old Trafford — ending United’s six-year trophy drought in the process.
A shock victory over Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final was widely credited with saving his job despite finishing eighth in the Premier League.
But the United hierarchy could be forced to act in the upcoming international break after they travel to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
Ten Hag could not have asked for a better start in Porto as goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund put United 2-0 up inside 20 minutes
However, the English giants have failed to win any of their last four away European games despite scoring three times in each of them.
Last season they crashed out of the Champions League at the group stages after losing 4-3 at Bayern Munich and FC Copenhagen plus a 3-3 draw at Galatasaray.
Another six-goal thriller took place at the Estadio do Dragao as Pepe and Samu Omorodion brought Porto level before half-time.
Omorodion smashed the home side in front early in the second half before United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for the second consecutive game.
But Maguire’s header from a corner at least salvaged a point for Ten Hag.
“When you get 2-0 away from home you have to be a little bit more solid and there were far too many gaps,” said Maguire.
“Too many crosses were coming into the box for sure and they ultimately punished us for it.”
The England international has lost his regular starting spot in the side to Matthijs de Ligt, who previously worked under Ten Hag at Ajax.
Maguire said the pressure his manager was facing is what comes with the “privilege” of being in the spotlight at one of the world’s biggest clubs.
“I’ve played for this club for six years, I know how it works. When you go on a bad spell players come under pressure and also the manager does,” added Maguire.
“He’s experienced enough and been at this club long enough so I’m sure he knows how to deal with it. It’s part of the privilege you have playing for this club.”


Tottenham and Lazio stay perfect in Europa League with second straight wins

Tottenham and Lazio stay perfect in Europa League with second straight wins
Updated 03 October 2024
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Tottenham and Lazio stay perfect in Europa League with second straight wins

Tottenham and Lazio stay perfect in Europa League with second straight wins
  • Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou made seven changes to the team that beat Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday
  • Lazio captain Mattia Zaccagni finished off the win from the penalty spot

ROME: A youthful Tottenham side maintained a perfect record in the Europa League with a 2-1 victory away at Ferencváros on Thursday, while Lazio also made it two wins out of two by routing Nice 4-1 at home.
Pape Sarr gave Tottenham the lead midway through the first half when he reacted quickly to a loose ball in the area and slotted it into the net with a right-foot shot for his second goal in two games in the second-tier European competition.
Brennan Johnson came on as substitute in the second half and scored the second four minutes from time with a left-footed strike off the far post. It was the fifth goal in five games in all competitions for the Wales international.
Parnabas Varga pulled one back for Ferencváros in the final minute.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou made seven changes to the team that beat Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday.
Four teenagers started for Spurs, with the 19-year-old Will Lankshear making his senior debut and 17-year-old teammate Mikey Moore making his first start.
In torrential rain at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Taty Castellano scored twice for Lazio, first making it 2-0 in the first half by lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Marcin Bulka in a one-on-one situation and then making it 3-1 in the second half with a shot into the roof of the net.
Lazio captain Mattia Zaccagni finished off the win from the penalty spot.
Substitute Tomáš Chorý headed in a second-half equalizer for Slavia to hold Ajax to a 1-1 draw in Prague. Ajax went ahead after Branco van den Boomen sent Slavia goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot in the 18th. The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 75th after defender Youri Baas received his second yellow card.
Anderlecht came from a goal down to beat Real Sociedad 2-1 away, with Theo Leoni scoring the winner late in the first half.
Ayoub El Kaabi scored two and Santiago Hezze added another one for last year’s Conference League winner Olympiacos to beat visiting Braga 3-0.
Hoffenheim, which are struggling in the Bundesliga, recorded a 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv.
Manchester United were playing at Porto later Thursday.

Conference League
The third-tier UEFA Conference League saw a couple of high-scoring games as Cercle Brugge routed St. Gallen 6-2 after a hat trick from Kevin Denkey, and Omonoia beat Vikingur Reykjavík 4-0 at home in Cyprus.
Legia Warsaw edged Real Betis 1-0.
Scottish side Hearts traveled a long way to Sumgayit, Azerbaijan, to take home a 2-1 victory over Belarusian champion Dinamo Minsk.
UEFA banned Russian clubs from all its events over the country’s invasion of Ukraine but has allowed Belarusian teams to keep playing despite the country’s support of Russia, as long as the games are hosted outside of Belarus without a crowd.


FIFA agrees on interim transfer rules to help players go to 2025 Club World Cup in US

FIFA agrees on interim transfer rules to help players go to 2025 Club World Cup in US
Updated 03 October 2024
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FIFA agrees on interim transfer rules to help players go to 2025 Club World Cup in US

FIFA agrees on interim transfer rules to help players go to 2025 Club World Cup in US
  • The move on Thursday opens the door for players whose contracts expire on June 30 to sign early as free agents for one of the 32 teams
  • They include Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain

ZURICH: FIFA has agreed on interim transfer rules aiming to help players change teams and go to the Club World Cup in the United States next June-July.
The move on Thursday opens the door for players whose contracts expire on June 30 to sign early as free agents for one of the 32 teams who qualified for the relaunched FIFA club tournament. They include Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
Potential free agents who could be pursued by Club World Cup teams include Liverpool trio Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, plus Lille forward Jonathan David and Tottenham captain Son Heung-min.
FIFA’s council approved interim transfer market rules that give member federations the option of opening an exceptional transfer window from June 1-10.
If agreements are reached between clubs, the FIFA transfer amendments would let players represent a new team for two weeks from mid-June, before their formal contract expires, in a tournament that is technically still part of the current season.
Had the Club World Cup been scheduled this year, Kylian Mbappé’s pending free agency on June 30 would have complicated the issue of him going to the US as a PSG or Madrid player.
FIFA’s aim to help get players to the Club World Cup also could see those with expiring contracts sign a two-week extension through to the end of the June 15-July 13 event.
Star players at Club World Cup teams with contracts expiring in June include Man City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and Bayern teammates Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich.
Players cannot represent two different teams during the tournament being staged in 12 stadiums.
FIFA also agreed on an exemption to the long-time rule that clubs must release players to national duty for games and tournaments on dates protected by the calendar of international games.
That affects US and Mexico players who might have been called up for the Gold Cup, also being played in the US from June 14-July 6.
The Club World Cup lineup includes Seattle Sounders, Leon, Monterrey and Pachuca as the past four champions of the CONCACAF region. One more space is left open for an MLS team to represent the host nation.
FIFA previously amended transfer market rules in 2020 when the soccer shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic extended the traditional season from June into August.
In one notable transfer four years ago, Germany forward Timo Werner declined an option to stay with Leipzig and resume in the Champions League knockout rounds in August. He instead moved to Chelsea on schedule, though could not play until the next season.


Juventus defender Bremer set for long layoff after knee surgery

Juventus defender Bremer set for long layoff after knee surgery
Updated 03 October 2024
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Juventus defender Bremer set for long layoff after knee surgery

Juventus defender Bremer set for long layoff after knee surgery
  • Bremer suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee in the sixth minute of the game the Italians won 3-2
  • He will undergo surgery in the coming days, Juventus said

ROME: Juventus defender Gleison Bremer will undergo surgery on a knee injury picked up in midweek Champions League action against Leipzig, the Serie A club announced on Thursday, with the 27-year-old facing up to six months on the sidelines.
Bremer suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee in the sixth minute of the game the Italians won 3-2. He will undergo surgery in the coming days, Juventus said.
His recovery is expected to take at least six months which could rule him out for most of the season, according to Italian press reports.
“Unfortunately, the results of the tests confirmed the worst-case scenario,” Brazilian international Bremer wrote on Instagram.
“It’s a challenge that I will face with my usual motivation, it will be an opportunity to grow, improve and come back even stronger.”
The Brazilian has been a key element in coach Thiago Motta’s defensive strategy, playing all their Champions League and Serie A games this season.
Juventus are second in Serie A, one point behind Napoli after six matches.
The Turin side will also be without Argentine forward Nico Gonzalez who injured his right thigh in Wednesday’s game.


FIFA defers decision on request to suspend Israel

FIFA defers decision on request to suspend Israel
Updated 03 October 2024
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FIFA defers decision on request to suspend Israel

FIFA defers decision on request to suspend Israel
  • The FIFA council adopted the recommendations and conclusions reached in the legal analysis
  • It decided that its disciplinary committee would be mandated to investigate the alleged offense of discrimination raised by the PFA

ZURICH: World football’s governing body FIFA made no verdict either way Thursday on a Palestinian request to suspend Israel, instead launching committee investigations to inform an eventual decision.
At FIFA’s congress in Bangkok in May, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) called for its Israeli counterpart to be suspended and for Israeli teams to be banned from FIFA events.
FIFA was initially set to hold an extraordinary session of its ruling council before July 20 to review the independent legal analysis and decide how to proceed.
However, the deadline was pushed back to give legal experts more time to complete a report.
At the organization’s headquarters in Zurich on Thursday, the FIFA council adopted the recommendations and conclusions reached in the legal analysis.
It decided that its disciplinary committee would be mandated to investigate the alleged offense of discrimination raised by the PFA.
Meanwhile the FIFA governance, audit and compliance committee “will be entrusted with the mission to investigate — and subsequently advise the FIFA Council on — the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based in the territory of Palestine.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement: “The FIFA Council has implemented due diligence on this very sensitive matter and, based on a thorough assessment, we have followed the advice of the independent experts.
“The ongoing violence in the region confirms that, above all considerations... we need peace.
“As we remain extremely shocked by what is happening, and our thoughts are with those who are suffering, we urge all parties to restore peace to the region with immediate effect.”