The excitement of Thursday night football was in full display once more and the playing field in the knockout phase of the Europa League is almost all set.
The top teams from Group A to H have moved on to the Round of 16, but the second-seeded sides behind them will have to wait on Monday’s draw since they’ll be joined by the relegated sides from the Champions League.
Arsenal and Real Sociedad are some of the clubs who would no longer have to wait until Monday since they’re already through. Meanwhile, Manchester United are among those whose fate is going to be determined next week.
In case you missed the final matchday, don’t fret as SBOTOP is here to bring to you the latest Europa League 2022 updates.
Arsenal secure Round of 16 berth in narrow win
The Gunners needed to win against Zurich to guarantee their top spot in Group A, and they did earn it the way.
With PSV – a team who beat them last time – winning over Bodo/Glimt, Arsenal were under pressure to deliver at the Emirates Stadium, although their confidence never wavered as they’re fresh from a 5-0 rout against Nottingham Forest on Friday to remain on top of the Premier League.
It took Arsenal 17 minutes to get in front, courtesy of Kieran Tierney’s thumping strike from 20 yards. However, tensions grew as the game went on since the visitors were aggressive in searching for the equaliser.
After a dominant first half display from the Gunners where they outshot their visitors 12-4 and spending most of the time on the offencive, Zurich frustrated them throughout the second half to set up a nervy finale.
Adrian Guerrero’s left-foot effort almost pegged the game back to even terms, but was flagged for offside. And if it weren’t for a couple of inches too wide, Zurich would have snatched a point thanks to Bohdan Viunnyk’s rocket attempt at the 80th minute.
Arsenal are winners of 10 in their last 12 matches across all competitions and they’ve now won all eight of their meetings against Swiss clubs in European competition.
Mikel Arteta’s side remains one of the favourites in the Europa League 2022 odds and they’ll learn their Round of 16 opponent in the draw on February 2023 when the knockout playoffs are done and dusted.
Almost but not quite for Manchester United
Alejandro Garnacho was living the dream in Spain last night as he tallied his first-ever senior goal for Manchester United to give them the 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad.
The strike was made even more memorable for him since it was his idol and Streford End hero Cristiano Ronaldo who put him in the ideal position to score through a sumptuous through ball.
Despite with the win, however, Manchester United fell short of achieving their main objective of topping Group E and progress directly to the Round of 16 since they needed to win by a two-goal margin.
But while they didn’t get the desired result, there was plenty to cheer about for the Red Devils as other than Garnacho’s maiden goal, David de Gea remained solid at the back since he prevented certain chances from Real Sociedad that would’ve turned the match into a draw.
Manchester United’s path to winning the Europa League just got even harder as they’ll have to go through the knockout playoffs first before the Round of 16. But with the way that they’re playing right now, they’re certainly ready for the challenge.
Feyenoord and Midtjylland make it out of crazy Group F
Group E saw all four teams finish level with eight points apiece, but it was Feyenoord and Midtjylland who are in the top two after last night.
Feyenoord defeated Lazio 1-0 in Rotterdam as Santiago Gimenez came off the bench and delivered the marginal goal at the 64th minute and forward Luka Romero was dismissed late to cap off the frustrating defeat for Lazio.
Midtjylland also beat Sturm Graz at home despite having fewer shots. Top scorer Anders Dreyer was the difference maker for the Danish side as his brace was pivotal to secure the 2-0 victory.
Feyenoord and Midtjylland both have a healthy goal difference of four, but the Eredivisie side is the one who was given the top spot since they netted one more than the Danish side. Furthermore, rounding out the top finishers from the other groups are PSV, Fenerbahce, Rennes, Real Betis, AS Roma, Union Saint-Gilloise, Union Berlin, SC Freiburg, Nantes, Ferencvaros, and AS Monaco.
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