Daily Times

MANCHESTER: Manchester United conceded two late own goals to allow Sevilla to snatch a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at Old Trafford on Thursday. Marcel Sabitzer’s quickfire double in the first half put Erik ten Hag’s team in control of the tie, but Sevilla, record six-times Europa League champions, pulled one back in the 84th minute when Jesus Navas’s shot pinged off the feet of Tyrell Malacia and keeper David de Gea into the net. United were reduced to 10 men when defender Lisandro Martinez was carried off injured and Youssef En-Nesyri’s stoppage-time header glanced off Harry Maguire into the goal to give Sevilla a huge lift ahead of next week’s second leg.

“I think we had the game in hand,” Ten Hag told BT Sport. “We should have scored three or four. . . and then some unlucky moments with injuries. And then we conceded two own goals and that’s bad luck. We have to deal with it. Of course, we have to learn that we have to kill the game.” Sabitzer, who is on loan from Bayern Munich, netted his first European goal for United in the 14th minute, when he controlled a pinpoint pass from Bruno Fernandes and shot past keeper Bono. The Austrian doubled his tally seven minutes later, latching on to a fine pass from Anthony Martial and finishing well.

Sabitzer, however, said it was tough to find words after his team’s late meltdown. “A roller-coaster,” Sabitzer said. “We had to finish the game off, it’s a draw, was not what we wanted, have to go to Seville and get it down there. “We had the chances, we were confidence in the game and I think we controlled the game, but unfortunately we gave easy goals away.” Martinez appeared to suffer a serious ankle injury and was carried off the pitch by two Sevilla players who are his Argentina team mates. United, bidding for their second trophy of the season after winning the League Cup, thought they had scored seconds after kickoff, but Jadon Sancho’s effort was disallowed for offside. Sevilla, languishing in the bottom half of La Liga, were outplayed in the first half but they nearly got on the scoreboard seconds before the interval when De Gea stopped Tianguy Ninazou’s close-range header and Raphael Varane cleared it off the line.

Leverkusen draw with Union 1-1: In Leverkusen, Germany, Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz hit an 82nd-minute equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw against visitors Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium in their Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday. The 19-year-old Wirtz, in top form since his return this year following a months-long injury break, fired in to cancel out Union’s lead through Victor Boniface in the 51st and leave the tie open ahead of next week’s return leg in Belgium. The winner will face either Feyenoord or AS Roma in the semi-final. The result snapped Leverkusen’s six-game winning run across all competitions but Xabi Alonso’s team are now unbeaten in their last 10 games. The hosts had their chances in an entertaining first half but it was Union, playing a sensational maiden Europa League campaign, who scored first. The Belgians launched a fine passing move six minutes after the restart and Boniface found space on the left to cut into the box and whip a shot past goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky for his sixth European goal in nine games this season.

Gatti goal secures Juventus win over Sporting: In Turin, Juventus took a small step towards the last four of the Europa League as Federico Gatti’s second-half goal secured the hosts a 1-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their quarter-final on Thursday. Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri changed the formation that lost 2-1 to Lazio in Serie A on Saturday to a more attacking one with three forwards, but with limited success. “I always say that football is not a mathematical equation. I decided to use those three upfront, we were often left unbalanced against a strong opponent like Sporting,” he told Sky Sport Italy.

Wieffer atones for error with Feyenoord winner: In Rotterdam, Mats Wieffer scored the winner to earn hosts Feyenoord a 1-0 home victory over AS Roma in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, after he had given away a first-half penalty. Wieffer struck a bouncing half volley from outside the box in the 53rd minute to give the Dutch league leaders a narrow advantage to take into the return leg in the Italian capital. It turned the night into a triumph for the 23-year-old, capped last month for the first time by the Netherlands, after he had conceded a penalty for tugging on Roma striker Tammy Abraham. Lorenzo Pellegrini hit the 43rd minute spot-kick against the post to waste an opportunity for a potentially vital goal in a tightly contested tie at the Feyenoord Stadium. Wieffer’s goal was set up by an incisive run down the left by winger Oussama Idrissi.