European Super Football

Manchester United 4 - 1 Athletic Club (Manchester United won 7-1 on aggregate) Mason Mount brought an end to a frustrating 20-month spell with a superb second-half brace as Manchester United set up an all-English Europa League final against Tottenham in Bilbao on 21 May. Author - Olivia T Stadium - Old Trafford The former Chelsea midfielder delivered at just the right moment. Hampered by a succession of injuries since his £55m move from Stamford Bridge in 2023, Mount had made only 10 Premier League starts for United prior to Thursday night. He had barely been on the pitch for 10 minutes when he collected Leny Yoro’s  pass inside the area and finished with composure. It was only his third goal for United, but unquestionably his most significant. The strike extinguished any remaining concerns that Athletic Club might become the first side in 134 attempts to overturn a three-goal first-leg deficit away from home in European competition. READ MORE: Europa League news and stories Th...

Athletic Club 0 - 3 Manchester United  Manchester United took a commanding step towards the Europa League final after a blistering first-half display against ten-man Athletic Bilbao gave them a significant advantage ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford. Author - Olivia T Stadium -  San Mamés In a fervent atmosphere, United were fortunate not to fall behind early on. Iñaki Williams headed over from a promising position before Victor Lindelöf made a crucial goal-line block to deny Álex Berenguer. The match shifted in the 30th minute. Harry Maguire, operating on the right, showed composure and vision to deliver a cross that was flicked on for Casemiro, who rose to head United in front. Seven minutes later, the visitors tightened their grip. A VAR review confirmed a foul on Rasmus Højlund by Dani Vivian, resulting in a penalty and a red card for the Bilbao defender. Bruno Fernandes silenced the hostile crowd with a calm finish from the spot. READ MORE: MUFC news and stories...

Athletic Club 2 - 0 Rangers (Athletic Club won 2-0 on aggregate) Nico Williams' late header ended Rangers’ Europa League hopes, as Athletic Bilbao secured a place in the semi-finals and kept alive their ambition of lifting the trophy on home soil. Author - Craig H Stadium  - San Mamés  Following a hard-fought goalless draw at Ibrox, where the Spanish side played much of the first leg with ten men, Rangers knew they would need something close to flawless to progress past La Liga’s fourth-placed team. For a while, they remained in contention, still level with just over ten minutes remaining. But Williams’ decisive goal, nodding in a superb cross from Oscar De Marcos, extinguished any hope of Rangers reaching a second final in four years. The breakthrough had come earlier in first-half stoppage time, when Oihan Sancet converted a penalty to give Bilbao the lead. The timing of the opener was a bitter blow for Barry Ferguson’s side, though in truth Athletic had been the do...

Athletic Bilbao 1 - 1 Mallorca Athletic Bilbao won 4-2 on penalties Athletic Bilbao has finally ended their run of six successive Copa del Rey final defeats by earning a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Mallorca, after a 40-year wait for silverware.  The team clinched their 24th Copa del Rey title, their first since 1984. Alex Berenguer sealed the win in the shootout, with Athletic coming out on top with a 4-2 victory in Seville. This victory sparked jubilant scenes at the sold-out La Cartuja stadium, bringing a much-needed end to Athletic's recent painful run in the competition. The team had previously ost two finals in as many weeks in 2021. Mallorca, who are currently 15th in La Liga, took the lead in the 21st minute as Dani Rodriguez fired in a goal after Athletic failed to clear from a corner. More news and stories from across Spain Athletic, who are also pushing for a top-four La Liga finish under former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, were denied an equalizer ...