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L’ Europa League ha sorriso alle formazioni di Manchester mentre lo Stoke ha dovuto salutare la manifestazione a vantaggio degli spagnoli del Valencia. Il City di Mancini ha rifilato un secco poker al Porto (4-0) mentre lo United, pur perdendo in casa contro l’Ajax, ha eliminato la formazione di Amsterdam in virtù del successo esterno dell’andata. Si sono ripetuti i problemi tra le tifoserie già occorsi nel match disputato in Olanda. Un bar è stato danneggiato, vi sono stati altri isolati incidenti minori ed una decina di persone ha finito la serata in manette.

Manchester United survived a European scare after Toby Alderweireld’s goal sentenced them to defeat.

But they still advanced on aggregate to book a last-16 Europa League tie with Athletic Bilbao despite a nervous display.

Ajax fell behind to Javier Hernandez’s composed finish following Dimitar Berbatov’s fine pass.

Aras Ozbiliz levelled from 20 yards but Alderweireld’s headed winner arrived too late for the Dutch visitors.

Although United remain on the road to Bucharest, the city chosen to host the final, the result took some of the gloss off England caretaker boss Stuart Pearce’s decision to name six players from Old Trafford in his new-look 25-man squad to face the Netherlands in next Wednesday’s friendly.

Pearce was at Old Trafford to witness four of the six – Tom Cleverley, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young and Phil Jones – all start against four-times European champions Ajax as Sir Alex Ferguson named an experienced side despite returning from last week’s trip to Amsterdam with a two-goal cushion.

The highly damaging 3-3 draw with Basel during their doomed Champions League campaign earlier in the season – when United led 2-0 before falling 3-2 behind – ensured the manager left nothing to chance.

But Ferguson was once again left biting his fingernails as United made hard work of going through.

Yet the anxious finish was in stark contrast to their confident start as Berbatov, making a rare start in place of the ill Wayne Rooney, made up for lost time.

Having teed up a chance for Nani inside the opening minute, the Bulgarian striker threaded a delicious pass which allowed Hernandez to take his goal tally for the season into double figures with a composed sixth-minute finish.

Trailing 3-0 on aggregate, Ajax, a shadow of the side that once dominated Europe, appeared as though they were just playing for pride.

Frank de Boer’s side created plenty of chances and United goalkeeper David de Gea was forced to earn his wages but, more times than not, there was no end product.

They should have been dead and buried in the 15th minute when Hernandez tried to return the earlier favour from Berbatov by attempting to set up the striker to make it 2-0.

But to the visitors relief, Hernandez’s pass was cut out by Jan Vertonghen before any further damage could be inflicted.

In an entertaining game, De Gea saved well from Ozbiliz before the midfielder hauled his side back on level terms on the night after firing home from 20 yards with the aid of a deflection off Jones in the 38th minute.

That will not have impressed Ferguson, who has moaned recently about the number of sloppy goals his side have conceded.

United responded with Cleverley testing keeper Kenneth Vermeer, but the save-of-the-match came at the other end in the 58th minute as De Gea produced a stunning stop to keep out Siem de Jong’s close range header.

It was a crucial moment. Had that gone in then United might have had problems.

As it was, Alderweireld’s winner on the night, a powerful header from Ozbiliz’s deep ball into area, arrived too late to cause any serious damage other than to United’s pride.

But Ferguson knows his side will have to play better if they are to progress to the final. 

24 February 2012 Last updated at 07:39 GMT

Manchester United and Ajax: Binary Bar damaged

Fifteen people have been arrested after a bar was vandalised before Manchester United’s game against Ajax.

Tables were turned over at the Binary Bar on Arundel Street, Manchester, in disturbances prior to the second leg Europa League tie.

Greater Manchester Police had mounted an operation to stop any trouble between fans after there were clashes in Amsterdam ahead of the first leg.

Police said many Dutch fans had travelled to the city without tickets.

Dutch police made 140 arrests during violence surrounding the first leg game.

Manchester United progressed through to the final 16 of the Europa League winning 3-2 on aggregate, despite losing 2-1 to Ajax on the night

(BBC Manchester )

 

23 February 2012 Last updated at 22:13 GMT

Manchester United and Ajax: Arrests for minor disorder

 

Ten people have been arrested for minor disorder ahead of the Europa League clash between Manchester United and Ajax.

A police operation was put in place to stop any trouble between fans after clashes erupted in Amsterdam ahead of the first leg last Thursday.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said the number of officers around Old Trafford had “increased”.

He said there were “a lot of Dutch fans in the city centre without tickets”.

There have been reports of disturbances at the Binary Bar in Castlefield and on Chester Road, though no-one is believed to be seriously hurt.

The spokesman said the police had the situation under control.

Ian McCloy, who works in Manchester, said he had seen “a large crowd chanting” in the city centre.

“The police arrived in full force with full riot gear, horses, dogs and a helicopter,” he said.

“The roads were closed off and the large crowd was corralled by the police – they ended up marching them out of the area, down Blackfriars street towards Salford.”

Dutch police made 140 arrests during violence surrounding the game last week.

(BBC Manchester )

 

MAN CITY-PORTO 4-0

 

Sergio Aguero was again the headline act as Manchester City sealed an impressive win over holders Porto to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.

The Argentine scored City’s first-leg winner and here he gave them the lead after just 19 seconds with a low shot.

He then turned creator for Edin Dzeko to score a goal which Porto’s Rolando was sent off for protesting against.

With the tie won, City romped home thanks to well-worked goals from David Silva and substitute David Pizarro.

The victory may not compensate City financially for failing to advance beyond the group stages of the Champions League, but it does go a small way towards making amends for that unplanned early elimination.

In the build-up to this encounter, City’s players and staff were eager to express how important this season’s Europa League is to the club – on a level with the Premier League according to manager Roberto Mancini – following their early de-seating from Europe’s top table.

But then, redemption is all the rage at Etihad at the moment, following Carlos Tevez’s unreserved apology “to everyone I have let down” during his five-month feud with the club.

Tevez’s future at City remains uncertain, but even if his apology does prove heart-felt, he will have to accept that the position of world-class diminutive Argentine striker is currently filled.

Sergio Aguero has been one of the stars of City’s season and over the course of this two-legged tie he has again illustrated the task Tevez – motivated or not – has in front of him to reclaim his place in Mancini’s starting XI.

After stinging Porto with his goalscoring exploits from the bench last week, the 23-year-old was a constant thorn in the Portuguese outfit’s side here. He harried defenders into errors, ghosted effectively into space untracked and just about his every touch was a positive one, including, most significantly, his very first.

Porto defender Nicolas Otamendi was partly culpable for his side conceding, giving the ball away to allow Yaya Toure to slide in a pass for Aguero to run on to and slot past Porto keeper Helton with just 19 seconds on the clock.

The striker should have scored more, but he was cruelly denied a sublime second when his chip from 25 yards struck the crossbar and then gave a rare glimpse of his fallibility when firing wide late in the first half.

City’s grip on the game was firm, but while it remained 3-1 on aggregate, Porto still held belief that a goal could spark a comeback in the tie.

However, despite the physical presence of Hulk in attack, they lacked a cutting edge to complement their neat build-up play and City were able to repel whatever was thrown their way, including a series of fiercely struck but largely wayward free-kicks from the aforementioned bulky centre-forward.

With 15 minutes to go, City sealed the tie and it was no surprise that Aguero played a key role, sliding in a neat pass that substitute Dzeko latched on to and slotted in.

Seemingly more in frustration than any genuine belief there had been an infringement, Porto’s Rolando sprinted to the referee’s assistant to protest, earning himself a second yellow card and an early departure from the field.

Now with a numerical advantage and facing utterly deflated opponents, City ran riot.

Pizarro, another late substitute, exchanged passes with Dzeko before crossing for Silva to finish from close range and the Chilean then grabbed a goal himself – his first for the club since joining on loan in January – with a well-struck low shot.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini: “It was a good night but it was not easy. We had other chances to score but we didn’t score, and when you don’t score, you can have other problems.

“It is not easy to beat Porto, they are one of the top teams in Europe and I am happy that we are going to the next stage.

“We want to try to go to the final if possible but it will be difficult because the Europa League has top squads – Manchester United, Valencia, Schalke – it is like the Champions League.

“For this reason it will be difficult but we want to try.

Porto coach Vitor Pereira: “Up until the second Manchester City goal, Porto were the best team. We played much better but we know Manchester City have a good team and they used the counter-attack well.

“They have great players up front and the second goal caused us difficulties. We wanted to change the game but the sending off changed it in favour of Manchester City.

“Someone who has not seen the match is wrong in their opinion if they think City have dominated the game. The scoreline does not show what happened on the pitch.” 

(bbc football )

 

VALENCIA-STOKE CITY 1-0

Battling Stoke City crashed out of the Europa League in the round of 32 following a narrow defeat by Valencia.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, the Potters, who fielded a weakened team, were not disgraced in going down to another single-goal loss.

Jonas scored the only goal of the game midway through the first half, calmly converting Pablo Hernandez’s cross.

But Stoke had chances of their own, with Kenwyne Jones twice being denied by Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

After leaving nine first-team players at home, the finger of frustration will be pointed squarely in the direction of manager Tony Pulis by the 4,000 Stoke supporters who made their way to the Mestalla.

Whether players like Peter Crouch, Jon Walters and Matthew Etherington would have had the necessary nous to humble a team third only to Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain’s La Liga is debateable.

They certainly would not have offered more industry than their understudies, who performed admirably against a team almost as comfortable in possession as any of their more illustrious Spanish rivals.

What they might have brought to the Mestalla, however, is a more ruthless cutting edge.

While Jones, Ricardo Fuller and Cameron Jerome gave the Valencia defenders an uncomfortable night physically, none of them could apply a finishing touch.

After all, Stoke had two glorious chances to haul themselves into the tie before Jonas scored in the 24th minute.

Following the initial shock of seeing Daniel Parejo rattle their woodwork with a curling free-kick inside 60 seconds, the old adage that change is as good as a rest seemed to ring true for the visitors.

They carved open their hosts with two delightful moves that could and should have hauled them back into the tie.

First Rory Delap sent in a teasing cross which an unmarked Jones could only flick at Guaita, before the same player was sent scampering clear by Wilson Palacios – only to scuff his shot straight at the keeper.

Such profligacy proved costly when Hernandez showed a neat turn of pace to breeze past Danny Collins and pull the ball back for the unmarked Jonas to tap into an empty net from six yards out.

Stoke’s Diego Arismendi was fouled in the build-up to the goal, but the catalogue of defensive errors that ensued as Valencia swept up the other end to score was more concerning than any mistake by the officials.

A lack of craft in midfield meant the pace and muscle of City’s front three was the only way they could force their way back into the tie.

They showed fleeting glimpses of working an opening when Palacios poked wide, while Jermaine Pennant offered a new outlet on the flanks once he was summoned from the bench, but it was Valencia who looked more threatening as the game opened up.

The best of those chances came when Jonathan Woodgate hit a free-kick into empty space in the middle of the pitch and watched in horror as it was picked up by a Valencia midfielder, who put Roberto Soldado in on goal.

Thankfully for the former England defender, Thomas Sorensen blocked the striker’s shot with his legs.

With matches against Chelsea, Liverpool in the FA Cup sixth round, and Manchester City on the horizon next month, Pulis may have had one eye on domestic competition when making the raft of changes as his side came up short in continental combat.

Only time will tell whether his decision is vindicated.

(bbc football ) 

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