Maguire’s Winner Sends Manchester United to UEFA Europa League Semis

Date: 18 April 2025 - 23:17

News ID: ۱۳۸۶۱۹

MANCHESTER (Reuters) - Harry Maguire scored in the dying seconds of extra time to help Manchester United snatch a place in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday with a sensational 7-6 aggregate victory over Olympique Lyonnais in their quarterfinal clash.
A thrilling second leg tie was taken into extra time after United threw away a two-goal lead on the night to be pegged back to 2-2 after 90 minutes, with goals from Rayan Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette putting Lyon on the verge of the semi-finals at a stunned Old Trafford.
It was the hosts who took an early lead, Manuel Ugarte slotting home 10 minutes in after a fine team move, before Diogo Dalot added a second just before the break to double hosts’ lead.
As the minutes ticked on, however, the nerves crept in and two goals in six second-half minutes from Tolisso and Nicolas Tagliafico drew the match, and left the tie level in sensational fashion.
Tolisso’s late sending off swung the momentum back in United’s favor, but Cherki’s fine strike and Lacazzette’s coolly-taken penalty seemingly settled the exhilarating contest.
Fernandes’ spot kick straight down the other end gave home supporters hope of another dramatic finale, before Kobbie Mainoo levelled the tie with what appeared to be the last kick, only for Maguire to have the final say.
United are now the first team in history to score two goals in the 120th minute of a major European match, as they storm into the last four to face Athletic Bilbao.
“I felt like the fourth goal for them was a sucker punch but that we’d get chances to get back into it,” Maguire told TNT Sport. “It fell to myself and thankfully I scored, it was an amazing feeling. An incredible game, we made really hard work of it.”
Old Trafford has not been a happy place this season, especially in the Premier League. Long-regarded as one of the toughest places in England to visit, seven of United’s 14 league defeats this season have come on their home patch.
Nikita Haikin made the vital save as Bodo/Glimt pulled off a stunning penalty shoot-out win away to Lazio on Thursday to become the first Norwegian team to reach the semifinals of the Europa League, where they will face Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
Lazio appeared to have done all they needed to, overturning the two-goal deficit from the first leg to take a 3-0 lead on the night, but a sucker-punch goal in extra time from Andreas Helmersen sent the tie to penalties, where Haikin became the hero.
Things looked bleak for the Norwegians when Jens Petter Hauge saw his spot kick saved and Dia scored, but up stepped their well-travelled goalkeeper Haikin, an Israeli-born Russian who spent much of his teenage years in London.
He saved Loum Tchaouna’s shpt before watching as Noslin fired wide and, with Bodo scoring their next three kicks, the stage was set for Patrick Berg, whose family is synonymous with the Norwegian club, to win it with their fifth penalty.
There was to be one last twist before the fairytale ending, with Berg blazing his effort high over the bar and Haikin called upon once more.
He cemented his hero status by saving Castellanos’s effort for a 3-2 win in the shoot-out that made them the first Norwegian side to reach the last four of a major European competition, prompting wild celebrations among the travelling fans, as well as those at home inside the Arctic Circle.