Manchester United beat Anderlecht to advance to the semi-finals of the Europa League. Manchester United beat Anderlecht to advance to Europa League semi-finals Manchester United Anderlecht second leg

This week the ups and downs in the Champions League are over, we switch to the Europa League, where there is enough intrigue and flavor of confrontations. It will be hot in Belgium today, at the Constant Vanden Stock stadium the silver medalist Anderlecht will host one of the most titled clubs in the Old World, Manchester United. The Mancunians do not hide their ambitions to win the Europa League, but the Purple and Whites have already gone too far to give up a ticket to the semi-finals without a fight. The fight will start at 22:05 (Moscow time), the German referee Felix Brych will serve the game.

"Anderlecht"

In the confrontation with the Red Devils, Anderlecht is not a favorite, but the Belgians should not be underestimated. The Purple and Whites won the regular season of the Belgian Championship and are now leading the playoff round. In the domestic arena, Anderlecht is the most titled - 55 trophies, but in the European arena in recent history, the club is almost not remembered by anything. Anderlecht have played in the group stage of the Champions League three times over the past 4 years, but have never managed to break into the playoffs. Anderlecht's stellar times fall in the mid-70s - early 80s. In 1983, the Belgians won the UEFA Cup, and a year later they reached the final.

Being in the status of vice-champion of Belgium, this season Anderlecht began the European way with the qualification of the Champions League. On the way of the Belgians was the Russian "Rostov", which became an impenetrable barrier. Anderlecht were relegated to the Europa League, where they finished second in a difficult group with Saint-Etienne, Mainz and Gabala. In the 1/16 finals, the "Purple-Whites" at home declassed "Zenith" (2:0), after which they retained the necessary advantage in the away match (3:1), advancing to the next round thanks to an away goal. In the 1/8 finals, the team of Rene Weiler twice minimally beat the Cypriot APOEL.

"Manchester United"

"Mancunians" are suitable in the status of favorites not only for the match against "Anderlecht", but also in general in relation to the tournament. Manchester United head coach Jose Mourinho does not hide the fact that the Europa League is for his team a reserve springboard to the Champions League, if Manchester United cannot do this with the help of the championship. There are 6 rounds left to play in the English Premier League, Manchester United still has two games in hand, but so far they are based in 5th place, 4 points behind the Champions League zone. The Red Devils also played in the Europa League last season, having been knocked out of the Champions League group stage. In the 1/8 finals of the Europa League, the then team of Louis van Gaal was stopped by another English club, Liverpool. Interestingly, Manchester United, which now has 65 trophies in its collection, has never won the Europa League (UEFA Cup).

Given the 5th place in the domestic championship at the end of last season, Manchester United began the new season with the group stage of the Europa League. The Mancunians were placed in Group A, qualifying for the playoffs from second place. Mourinho's team won 4 matches, lost 2. In the 1/16 finals, United defeated the French Saint-Etienne without any problems (4:0 on aggregate). In the 1/8 finals, the British were less confident, but they defeated the Russian Rostov (2:1 on aggregate).

Approximate compositions:

The hosts approach the match in full combat readiness. The participation in the game of the main striking force of the Belgians Lukas Teodorichka is questionable, at yesterday's training the Pole did not work in the main group. The Mancunians have more serious problems. Due to injuries, several main performers will not play at once - Juan Mata, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young, Phil Jones, as well as goalkeeper David de Gea and Wayne Rooney.

"Anderlecht": Martinez, Adjey, Kara, Spajic, Obradovic, Tielemans, Dendonker, Stanchu, Chipchu, Telin, Hanni.

"Manchester United": Romero, Valencia, Rojo, Bailly, Shaw, Herrera, Fellaini, Mkhitaryan, Pogba, Rashford, Ibrahimovic.

Interesting facts and figures on the eve of the match:

• The clubs played each other 6 times: 2 wins for Anderlecht, 4 wins for Manchester United;
• In the first match between these clubs, which took place back in 1956, Anderlecht suffered the biggest defeat in European competition 0:10.
• Anderlecht met with representatives of England 32 times: 7 wins, 5 draws, 20 losses.
• Apart from Anderlecht, the Mancunians only played twice against the Belgian teams. In 2015, in the qualification for the Champions League, United defeated Brugge 11:1 on aggregate.
• Anderlecht have won 5 of their previous 6 European home matches.
• Manchester United are unbeaten in 6 matches in European competition.
• Manchester United have played fewer matches in European competition than Anderlecht 336 to 388.
• Match odds: Anderlecht win - 4.75, draw - 3.60, Manchester win - 1.85.
• Prediction from Readfootball: Manchester United win.

Words before the match:

Jose Mourinho, Manchester United manager: “I don’t want to say that we are giving up the fight for the top four in the Premier League. As long as there are even minimal mathematical chances, we will fight. If there is no chance left, we will focus all our attention on the Europa League. But I think that this may happen a little later, but for now you have to go through Anderlecht, otherwise there will be nothing to choose from.

René Weiler, Anderlecht head coach:“Our main trouble is Teodorchik. Lukas continues to be in pain, so he didn't train on Wednesday. I can say for sure that Telin will replace him in the starting lineup, and then we will look at the circumstances. We are not considered favorites for the duel with Manchester United, but this does not mean that we will just serve the number.

We are waiting for an interesting match, most likely, it will be held in one goal. However, as practice this season shows, Manchester United can sit on the opponent's goal for the whole game, create a lot of chances, but in the end not score. Still, I believe that today the Mancunians will be able to score more than once. Anderlecht plays at home, so the stands won't let you sit on the defensive for the entire match. My prediction for the game is a victory for Manchester.

- Anderlecht - 2: 1

"Genk" - "Celta" - 1:1 (3:4)

Another Belgian club, like Anderlecht, left the Europa League at the quarter-final stage: Genk played a draw at home with the Spanish Celta and, due to a guest defeat (2:3), lost its opponent.

This final victory over the Belgians allowed Celta to turn a new page in their history: they reached the semi-finals of the Europa League for the first time.

It is worth recognizing that this meeting of the “Celts” and “Masters” was much less dynamic than the previous one, as evidenced by the fact that two goals were scored here, not five. There was clearly not enough speed, since the Spaniards were satisfied with the result of the home match and they had no desire to go on the rampage and open up in the attack, and the Belgians were too afraid to miss a goal in their field, which would be considered two and at times complicate their task of reaching the next round .

However, in the 63rd minute, exactly what Genk was afraid of happened:

The Danish striker of Celta Pione Sisto took the ball away from the Belgian defender Timothy Castagne, who played carelessly and fired a projectile right behind the goalkeeper's collar from outside the penalty area.

Only after that did Genk realize that it was necessary to win back, and he rushed forward with all his might, which immediately bore fruit. The 22-year-old striker, who scored two assists in the first meeting of the teams, this time decided to score himself, in which he was actively helped by the guests' defender. The Celta defender failed to handle the ball during the interception and literally played in the wall with Trossard, who slipped past him into the penalty area and hit exactly into the far corner - Sergio Alvarez no longer reached out.

Having equalized the score, Genk perked up and began to furiously besiege the Spaniards' penalty area, rolling wave after wave, but Eduardo Berizzo's wards showed miracles of composure and managed to prevent more of their own stupid mistakes in defense.

The match ended like this - 1:1 on the scoreboard and Celta Vigo in the semi-finals.

Schalke 04 - Ajax - 3: 2

The German "Schalke-04", which so limply lost away to the Dutch "Ajax" 0: 2, appeared on the home field as a completely different team and until extra time acted under the motto "My home is my fortress", actively scoring and at the same time nothing skipping.

Besiktas - Lyon - 2:1 (6:7 on penalties)

The Turkish "Besiktas" and the French "Lyon", who played a real drama in the first match of the quarterfinals (the "lions" pulled out the victory then, losing by the 83rd minute of the meeting 0:1), gave the audience another grandiose hassle.

The Brazilian midfielder of the team scored a double against the French, to which he answered with his own goal.

This was the end of the bombardment exploits of the teams, and the next hour (the rest of the regular time of the match and both extra halves) the spectators watched a tense struggle in which neither could surpass the other.

Since the rivals could not defeat each other by classical methods, the winner had to be determined in a football lottery - a penalty shootout.

The first six shots were realized by both teams, but the seventh attempt turned out to be synchronously failed: at first he failed to replay, and then struck above the gate.

However, if the Turks continued to make mistakes (simply struck into the right corner, so that Lopes dragged again), then

the French did not allow any more misfires: they realized their attempt and brought Lyon victory in the post-match penalty shootout with a score of 7:6 and at the same time reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League.
After the match, the head coach of Lyon officially announced the lifting of the curse of "penalty shootouts".

“We controlled the game for most of it, with the possible exception of the beginning of the second half. However, we were either unlucky or the opposing goalkeeper made incredible saves. In the end, everything came to a penalty shootout.

I remembered that Lyon had lost both of their previous streaks in European competition, but we managed to overcome that curse."

- conveys the words of the specialist L "Equipe.

Other news, materials and statistics can be viewed on the Europa League, as well as in the groups of the sports department on social networks

José Mourinho, albeit slowly, is approaching the first European trophy as a Manchester United manager. Last Thursday, the Mancunians did not hold a victory over the Belgian Anderlecht. However, a scoring draw on the opponent's field leaves great chances for passing to the next round. Today, the second part of the Anglo-Belgian confrontation for a ticket to the semi-finals took place. The match took place at the legendary Old Trafford, with the Spanish referee Alberto Undiano Maglienko following the order on the field.

Manchester United 1-1 Anderlecht (2-1 extra time)

Due to injuries, the Red Devils could not be helped by a pair of central defenders Jones - Smalling, as well as attacking midfielder Juan Mata. José Mourinho opted for a 4-3-3 tactical formation, making a couple of changes in the first team. Sergio Romero took the place in the goal frame, and the experienced Michael Carrick came out in the support zone instead of Herrera. The Purple-and-Whites also made several changes: from the first minutes, Lukasz Teodorczyk played at the forefront of the attack, and the team switched to 4-1-4-1 tactics.

First time

The Mancunians calmly started the game and were in no hurry to attack. In turn, the "purple-whites" rushed to the attack from the first minutes, as a result of which they ran into a counterattack in the 10th minute, which became fatal. Henrikh Mkhitaryan took Rashford's pass and aimed it into the near corner from outside the penalty area, 1-0. Within a few minutes after the goal was scored, the hosts could double their advantage. In the 12th minute, Paul Pogba closed the cross with his head from the right flank - he hit the crossbar. A minute later, Jesse Lingard tried to distinguish himself with a passing kick, but in that episode, Ruben Martinez saved his team.

In the middle of the half, the hosts stopped attacking, apparently saving their strength, but the guests ran forward with large forces. In the 21st minute, Rojo and Bayi collided in the fight for the ball, Achempong took advantage of this, entered the penalty area and shot - the ball hit the net from the outside. A minute after that, a forced substitution took place in the match. The field was left by Marcos Rojo, who had been injured a few minutes earlier, and was replaced by Daley Blind. In the 29th minute, the guests earned the right to perform a dangerous free-kick, struck by Youri Tielemans - right into the hands of the goalkeeper. After 3 minutes, Tielemans hit the crossbar from outside the penalty area, Teodorchik got tangled in his legs in an attempt to finish, but Sofyan Hanni was nearby, and he sent the ball into the net, 1-1.

Second half

In the debut of the second half, the teams exchanged dangerous moments. In the 47th minute, Lukasz Teodorczyk took advantage of the defenders' mistake, dragged the ball into the penalty area, but dragged it in with a kick, as a result, Antonio Valencia rescued the hosts. Manchester United answered two minutes later, Luke Shaw burst into the penalty area, shot along the goal line, but no one managed to close. The Mancunians were active ahead, they understood that in the event of another missed goal, they would have to score twice. In the 65th minute, Rashford struck from an average distance - wide. A few minutes later, Marcus Rashford lost a clean one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The striker beat the Anderlecht goalkeeper, but threw the ball too far, in the end he failed to break through. In the 71st minute, Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed another 100% chance. After filing from the flank, the Swede received the ball at the far post, shot into the corner without resistance, but hit the defender.

Manchester United were desperate to score a second goal, losing opportunity after opportunity. Anderlecht was not afraid to answer, it was noticeable that the guests were not satisfied with the extra time either. In the final minutes, the "Red Devils" laid siege to the opponent's penalty area, organized the final assault. In the 80th minute, Zlatan did not use another moment, missing the goal from the eleven-meter area. In the 89th minute, Ibrahimovic led to a strike position near the Rashford goal, the striker struck with his left foot, but missed. It was the last real opportunity in regular time. According to the sum of the two matches, the score was equal, so the game went into extra time.

Additional time

Already in the first minute of extra time, Pogba managed a spectacular kick through himself, the ball flew into the far corner, but the defender of the guests secured his partners. United continued to put pressure on Anderlecht's goal, with Pogba scoring in the 101st minute, but the referee overturned the goal. This is because Fellaini helped himself with his hands during the goal attack during the riding fight for the ball. In the first extra-half, the Belgians also carried out a dangerous attack. In the 105th minute, Youri Tielemans struck from outside the penalty area, Romero failed to fix the ball, but there was no one on the rebound. At the 107th minute, the "Red Devils" managed to break through the defensive redoubts of the "Purple-Whites". After throwing into the penalty area, Fellaini dropped the ball to Rashford, who earned a pass on his left foot with his heel and shot accurately into the corner of the goal, 2-1. In the final minutes, Anderlecht chaotically ran forward, hoping to win back, the Mancunians tried to score more, but neither the first nor the second succeeded.

Thus, "Manchester United" in a difficult home match in extra time defeats the Belgian "Anderlecht" and gets a ticket to the semi-finals. In addition to the Red Devils, the Dutch Ajax, the Spanish Celta and the French Lyon made their way there. The draw for the ½ final stage will take place tomorrow.

Anderlecht came to Old Trafford after Chelsea. And, according to many fans and experts, the Belgian club had practically nothing to count on, since even in the first match of the 1/4 finals of the Europa League, United seemed to be able to decide the fate of the confrontation in their favor on the road. Indeed, how can the Swiss mentor Rene Weiler surprise an experienced opponent in one past week?!

The "Devils", having a goal on the "foreign" field, started the fight somewhat imposingly. In this sense, the guests had nowhere to retreat, and they tried, at least, to indicate the "tension" near Romero's possessions. And when, in the 10th minute of the meeting, the Mancunians, thanks to an interception in the central circle and Pogba’s competent pass, got a tangible chance for a counterattack, and Anderlecht’s entire defense suddenly faded away, allowing Mkhitaryan, who had come running, to calmly aim and bitingly shoot “from the bottom” of - under the bewildered defenders at the most unexpected moment for the goalkeeper, the spectators of the match seemed to be watching another confirmation of the regularity of the general course of the struggle.

Ruben's further jumps, repelling Pogba's header and Lingard's insidious "shot", only swept away the remnants of doubts about the imminent triumph of the favorite "favorite": a little more, and the "devils" are about to complete the rout in the first half. However, the "Purple-Whites" managed to pull themselves together, hold out, and from the 20th minute they completely seized the initiative.

The fact is that the victory over Chelsea cost United a lot of physical effort, and, to a certain extent, turned into not only a loss of concentration and accumulated fatigue, but also injuries. Damage to Rojo, received by the Argentine out of the blue due to excessive risk, led to disastrous consequences for the entire defense of the Mancunians. Besides, with Teodorczyk, Kipciu and Hanni Anderlecht looked much more meaningful and varied - both in the center of the field and in attack. And while Blind frantically recalled the peculiarities of interaction with Bailly, the guests seriously undertook to disturb Romero.

Slightly inaccurate strikes by Acheampong and Dendonker, which completed the very sensible draws of the "purple-whites", ultimately laid the foundation on which Wyler's wards managed to create a real sensation and absolutely rightly, completely exhausting the famous opponent, equalize the score during an excellent combination invented and executed according to all the laws of football science. It is eloquent that in the episode with the conceded goal, United appeared in a “disassembled” form, when a whole group of players did not understand how they should react to certain maneuvers of the guests, and Anderlecht, on the contrary, showed team spirit, consistency and focus.

The final segment of the first half and about five minutes immediately after the break, the “devils”, in general, played poorly and did not mark anything, except for Mkhitaryan’s too cunning attempt to bring Lingard, who was stuck offside, one on one with Ruben. The Purple and Whites nearly built on their own success, and Hanni and Theodorczyk were somewhat unlucky to exacerbate the crisis that the Mancunians continued to be in, setting a record for the number of pointless and unaddressed forward passes at the end of the game hour.

The “Plan B” required of the United coaching staff by life itself was by no means sparkling with originality. With the hasty appearance of Fellaini, countless throws from anywhere found their final resting place, and at the same time, Ibrahimovic, who was practically invisible until now, got a chance to more accurately watch for the “rebound”, or, due to the vacant space, finally reach a shock position or bring someone to a date with the goalkeeper. or else.

Anderlecht were left with a choice: to patiently look for counter-attack options, or to formally reduce the risk and increase the defense, hoping to hold out until extra time, and then a penalty shoot-out. Rene Weiler, who did not have spares of the caliber of Rooney, Herrera or Marcial, preferred the latter, and the guests returned to the composition, which, to put it mildly, did not very clearly resist the Mancunians in Belgium, with the captaincy of Tielemans - talented, but, of course, too young for this the role of a player who is not yet capable of coping with the burden of responsibility and clearly managing partners in matches of such intensity.

In fact, the remaining half hour of the second half became an extended benefit of Ruben. The Spanish goalkeeper managed to leave the “target” in time, preventing Rashford from rolling the ball into the “empty” ones as a result of Appia’s grossest and, in many ways, expected mistake in his half of the field, and constantly preventing Ibrahimovic from distinguishing himself from lethal positions, even if there was a suspicion of offside .

Pogba's miss from the borders of someone else's goalkeeper, a strange and possibly severe injury to Zlatan, rightly canceled due to an obvious violation of the rules of Fellaini, the goal of the same 6th number "devils" - events that made the impending "penalty series" more than probable. And yet, Anderlecht almost endured the much-desired ending, which would have been unpredictable and very dangerous for United. The factor of native walls helped Rashford, albeit with a fair amount of luck, to turn a banal “discount” with the head of the “curly-haired” Belgian into a scored ball. And despite the fact that the guests fought selflessly until the very final whistle, and Acheampong had a half chance to resurrect the sensation, the owners of Old Trafford with a huge creak go to the next stage of the tournament.