Sporting stun Arsenal in shootout; United, Juve advance – Newspaper
LONDON: Sporting Lisbon sent Arsenal out of the Europa League with a penalty shoot-out triumph after Pedro Goncalves’ impressive equalizer, while Manchester United and Juventus progressed to the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Arsenal, leaders of the Premier League, took the lead when a brilliant ball from Jorginho Martinelli folded down the left and after his shot was saved, Granit Xhaka followed to smash the ball into the net.
But Portugal midfielder Goncalves equalized for the visitors just after the hour mark when he spotted home goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale from his line and found a shot straight from the Arsenal half, his 45-yard shot dipping into the net.
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Marcus Edwards was one-on-one with Ramsdale but had saved his shot before Arsenal striker Leandro Trossard only had to hit the keeper in extra time but his shot was deflected off the post.
With reality TV star Kim Kardashian and her Arsenal fan son Saint in attendance, that night’s game ended 1-1 and 3-3 on aggregate, requiring penalties to decide the tie.
Sporting emerged victorious 5-3 on penalties when Gabriel Martinelli’s feeble shot was saved by Antonio Adan and Nuno Santos fired the decisive shot.
“I think we did enough at some stages of the game but for most of the game we weren’t at the level that we should be,” Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard told BT Sport. “We did well part of the game, but we didn’t play our best football. It was a close game and it could have gone either way. It’s a big blow to be eliminated from this competition, it was a big goal for us. But now we have to come back stronger and make sure we finish well in the league.” It was a far calmer night for United as Marcus Rashford’s evasive long-range shot earned them a 1-0 win at Real Betis and a 5-1 aggregate win.
Joaquin hit the post for Betis and Juanmi missed two clear chances for the hosts as they started well and desperately tried to close their three-goal deficit at the lively Benito Villamarin Stadium.
However, Rashford’s brilliant goal early in the second half killed the tie.
Three-time champions Juventus scored a 2-0 win over 10-man Freiburg to progress 3-0 on aggregate with goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa.
Juventus, who led Freiburg with a goal from the first leg, thought they had taken the lead when Vlahovic scored from close range but it was ruled offside by VAR.
The Serbian striker then fired from the penalty spot just before half-time after Manuel Gulde lost in the penalty area and received his second yellow card.
With Juventus in full control and Freiburg at a numerical disadvantage, the tie was all but over and Chiesa ended the win late.
Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma defeated Real Sociedad in a goalless draw in Spain to seal the 2-0 aggregate result. The home side dominated the chances but the Italians held them at bay with stoic defense. Roma was the first Europa Conference League winner last season.
Sevilla, record six-time winners of this competition, suffered an annoying 1-0 defeat at Fenerbahce when Enner scored Valencia from the penalty spot but qualified 2-1 on aggregate.
Jorge Sampaoli’s Sevilla, who have been struggling in La Liga, suffered defeat in Turkey but had done enough at home to progress against Fenerbahce and continue their attack.
Michy Batshuayi had to be substituted for the hosts early on injured, damaging their comeback bid, but Jorge Jesus’ side took the lead when Alex treated Telles in the box.
Veteran Ecuadorian striker Valencia scored his 24th goal of the season for Fenerbahce. Sevilla looked to progress despite pressure from the hosts in the second half as they looked for a second goal to force extra time.
Moussa Diaby’s early goal and Amine Adlis’ second-half strike gave Bayer Leverkusen a 2-0 win at Hungarian club Ferencvaros, while the German club went 4-0 on aggregate.
Teddy Teuma, Lazare Amani and Loic Lapoussin scored for Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise as they defeated Union Berlin 3-0 to secure a 6-3 aggregate win.
They reach the quarter-finals in their first UEFA competitive season as the German side finished with 10 men after a second caution for Janik Haberer in the closing stages.
Feyenoord defeated Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine 7-1 to lead 8-2 on aggregate, while captain Orkun Kokcu and striker Oussama Idrissi scored two goals each.
In the UEFA Conference League round of 16, Fiorentina defeated Sivasspor 4-1 and won 5-1 on aggregate, but Serie A Lazio were eliminated 2-1 at AZ Alkmaar and 4-2 on aggregate in the evening.
West Ham United defeated AEK Larnaca 4-0 to end a 6-0 aggregate win, while Anderlecht defeated Villarreal 2-1 after a 1-0 win in Spain.
Published in Dawn, March 18, 2023