Barcelona, Man United Play 2-2 Thriller in Europa League

Football - Europa League - Play-Off First Leg - FC Barcelona v Manchester United - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - February 16, 2023 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates after FC Barcelona's Jules Koundé scored an own goal and the second for Manchester United. (Reuters)
Football - Europa League - Play-Off First Leg - FC Barcelona v Manchester United - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - February 16, 2023 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates after FC Barcelona's Jules Koundé scored an own goal and the second for Manchester United. (Reuters)
TT
20

Barcelona, Man United Play 2-2 Thriller in Europa League

Football - Europa League - Play-Off First Leg - FC Barcelona v Manchester United - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - February 16, 2023 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates after FC Barcelona's Jules Koundé scored an own goal and the second for Manchester United. (Reuters)
Football - Europa League - Play-Off First Leg - FC Barcelona v Manchester United - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - February 16, 2023 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates after FC Barcelona's Jules Koundé scored an own goal and the second for Manchester United. (Reuters)

Barcelona and Manchester United served up a thrilling 2-2 draw in the Europa League knockout playoffs Thursday that outranked anything seen in the Champions League this week.

The former European champions traded leads in a back-and-forth second half of their first-leg game at Camp Nou.

Barcelona struck first in the 50th minute on defender Marcos Alonso’s header from a corner and leveled in the 76th when Raphinha’s cross from the right wing curled into the net untouched. United's defense was distracted by Robert Lewandowski’s failed attempt to connect.

In between, Marcus Rashford showed just why Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández described him as one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe.

Rashford beat goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen at his near post with a shot from a tight angle in the 53rd then created United’s go-ahead goal seven minutes later.

Receiving the ball at the touchline from a corner taken short, Rashford dribbled into the penalty area then fired a low cross that was flicked on by Bruno Fernandes and bounced up to ricochet into the net off defender Jules Koundé for an own goal.

“If you face number one of Spain in an away game and you are the dominant team, you can see this as a positive,” United manager Erik ten Hag said.

United goalkeeper David de Gea preserved the lead with late saves, after ter Stegen’s best saves were in the first half to keep out shots by Rashford and Wout Weghorst.

A game of 35 attempts on goal was watched by former United manager Alex Ferguson, now aged 81, in the stadium where his team won the 1999 Champions League final.

It sets up an enticing second leg at Old Trafford next Thursday with a place in the round of 16 at stake.

Barcelona has never won the second-tier European competition — never even reached the final in 52 years as the UEFA Cup then the Europa League — and its 13th attempt looks to be no easier.

Europa League

A game between two former Champions League finalists saw Monaco captain Axel Disasi score with a long-range shot in stoppage time to seal a 3-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen.

Juventus was held 1-1 by Nantes, after leading in the 13th on Dušan Vlahović's goal, and seemed sure to be awarded a penalty for a handball in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Instead, after a two-minute review and consulting the pitch-side screen, Portuguese referee João Pinheiro awarded Nantes a free kick for a foul by the Juventus player Bremer.

Shakhtar Donetsk’s first competitive game of 2023 during the midwinter break for the Ukrainian league was a 2-1 win over Rennes in a “home” game played in neutral Warsaw.

Shakhtar’s first game since selling star winger Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea saw his replacement on the left flank, Dmytro Kryskiv, open the scoring in the 11th minute.

Sevilla, the record six-time champion, eased to a 3-0 win over PSV Eindhoven, and Salzburg will take a 1-0 lead to Roma next week thanks to Nicolas Capaldo’s header in the 88th. Coach José Mourinho’s team almost leveled when Andrea Belotti’s header was pushed on to the crossbar by goalkeeper Philipp Köhn.

Ajax drew 0-0 at home to Union Berlin, the surprise Bundesliga title challenger. Sporting Lisbon got a stoppage-time goal from defender Sebastian Coates to draw 1-1 with Midtjylland.

Europa Conference League

Fiorentina’s 4-0 rout of home team Braga was the standout performance in the Europa Conference League knockout playoffs.

Forwards Luka Jović and substitute Arthur Cabral each scored twice, and Braga had defender Vitor Tormena sent off for a late tackle on Jović.

Five of the eight games ended in 1-0 wins for the home team: Trabzonspor over Basel, Qarabağ against Gent, Ludogorets over Anderlecht, and AEK Larnaca against Dnipro-1 of Ukraine.

Lazio's goal against Cluj by Ciro Immobile came deep in first-half stoppage time after Lazio defender Patric was sent off. It was 0-0 in Norway between Bodø/Glimt and Lech Poznan.

In Moldova, Sheriff lost 1-0 to visiting Partizan of Serbia in a game played in an empty stadium, ordered by national authorities citing concern about an alleged Russian-backed plot to overthrow the government.



Diriyah Company, Saudi Tennis Federation Sign MoU on Tennis Development

By 2030, the Diriyah project is expected to host over 100,000 residents and attract 50 million visitors annually - SPA
By 2030, the Diriyah project is expected to host over 100,000 residents and attract 50 million visitors annually - SPA
TT
20

Diriyah Company, Saudi Tennis Federation Sign MoU on Tennis Development

By 2030, the Diriyah project is expected to host over 100,000 residents and attract 50 million visitors annually - SPA
By 2030, the Diriyah project is expected to host over 100,000 residents and attract 50 million visitors annually - SPA

Diriyah Company and the Saudi Tennis Federation signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at fostering the growth of tennis in Diriyah, strengthening collaborative initiatives, and hosting educational events for youth in schools and community venues to encourage participation and skill development.
The MoU is part of a series of agreements through which Diriyah Company aims to enhance the quality of life, promote sports, and develop an integrated, sustainable community, positioning Diriyah as a global destination that celebrates sports, culture, arts, and heritage, SPA reported.
By 2030, the Diriyah project is expected to host over 100,000 residents and attract 50 million visitors annually.
The Saudi Tennis Federation seeks to promote and advance tennis across the Kingdom, with a strong focus on nurturing young talent. Through structured talent identification and development programs, the federation aims to empower the next generation of players while also enhancing infrastructure and organizing tournaments. Its ultimate goal is to position tennis as one of the Kingdom’s premier sports.