All-English Europa League final, Chelsea and Betis to vie for Conference League
There will be an all-English final in the UEFA Europa League on May 21 after Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both won their respective semifinals on Thursday
LONDON — There will be an all-English final in the UEFA Europa League on
May 21 after Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both won their respective
semifinals on Thursday.
Three late goals gave Manchester United a 4-1 win at home
to Athletic Bilbao, who had the home side on the ropes for a long time despite
missing players such as Nico and Inaki Williams and Oihan Sancet. United won
7-1 on aggregate after having triumphed 3-0 in last week's first leg in Bilbao.
Mikel Jauregizar gave the Basque side hope in the 31st
minute when he curled in an excellent shot from outside the area to reward his
team's control in the first half, in which United looked to sit deep and play
on the break, reports Xinhua.
Athletic was the better side for the first 25 minutes of
the second half, but failed to create enough chances in the absence of key
strikers, and when Mason Mount made it 1-1 in the 72nd minute, the tie was all
but over.
Casemiro flicked in a free kick in the 80th minute, with
Rasmus Hojlund making it 3-1 five minutes from time and Mount scoring his
second from distance with goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala off his line.
Elsewhere, Tottenham won 2-0 away to Bodo/Glimt for a 5-1
aggregate win.
Dominic Solanke opened the scoring in the 63rd minute
from a corner, and Pedro Porro's long range effort six minutes later made
Spurs' final place secure.
In the Conference League, Chelsea will face Real Betis in
the final, with Chelsea winning 5-1 on aggregate and Betis scraping through 4-3
after extra time against Fiorentina.
Chelsea had few problems in ensuring its place in the
final after last week's 4-1 win away to Swedish side Djurgarden.
The result was never in doubt, with Chelsea extending its
lead in the 38th minute when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the game's only goal.
Betis traveled to Florence defending a 2-1 first leg win
at home to Fiorentina, and in an exciting first half, Antony gave the Spanish
side a two-goal cushion on aggregate with a stunning free kick that went in off
the post in the 30th minute.
However, the Italian side hit back with Robin Gosens
scoring two headers from corners on 34 and 42 minutes.
With no goals in the second half, the tie went into extra
time where Ez Abde's far-post finish made it 2-2 on the night and 4-3 to Betis
on aggregate.
All-English Europa League final, Chelsea and Betis to vie fo
