Sports

Manchester pair beaten in Europa

  • By Agencies
  • March 10, 2012
photo
Llorente brought the visitors on terms just before half-time. Net photo.

EARLY EXIT :Both teams crashed out of UEFA Champions League

Europa League

Atletico Madrid    3 - 1 Besiktas
FC Twente  1 - 0    Schalke
Metalist Kharkiv    0 - 1 Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon 1 - 0 Man City
AZ Alkmaar  2 - 0 Udinese
Man United   2 - 3 Athl. Bilbao
Standard Liege    2 - 2 Hannover
Valencia     4 - 2 PSV Eindhoven

Both Manchester clubs must overturn first-leg deficits to reach the quarter-final of the Europa League.

Manchester United suffered their second successive home defeat in the competition as a swashbuckling Athletic Bilbao came from behind to secure a deserved 3-2 victory in their last-16 first-leg tie at Old Trafford.

Wayne Rooney started and ended the scoring to give the Red Devils some hope in the return leg next week.

But they will have to go some to overcome an impressive Bilbao outfit who levelled through Fernando Llorente before Oscar de Marcos added a superb second and Iker Muniain made it 3-1 late on, before Rooney’s injury-time penalty made it 3-2.

Brazilian defender Xandao condemned a below-par Manchester City to a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Europa League tie against Sporting.

Xandao beat Joe Hart with a clever close-range backheel after 51 minutes as the Portuguese side controlled most of the last-16 encounter at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.

Hart also made two good saves but City did have chances with Gareth Barry and Aleksandar Kolarov going close, Mario Balotelli heading against the bar and Sergio Aguero almost breaking through late on.

Sporting’s wastefulness, particularly early on, will give the Premier League leaders hope they can still turn the tie around at the Etihad Stadium next week.


Comments

Zambia takes AFCON! Man U and Man City crush out of the champions league and lose the first legs in Europa league! well surprises in football continue in Africa as in Europe.


11:44:23 Saturday 10th, March 2012 Kayonza - Alex K

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