New Delhi: Olympique Lyonnais hosted Manchester United at their den – the Groupama Stadium, in the first leg of Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday, and efficiently played out a 2-2 draw with Rayan Cherki scoring a thrilling equalizer in the stoppage time to balance things out. Lyon had taken the lead in the 26th minute as Thiago Almada capitalised on a mishandled free-kick by United’s goalkeeper, André Onana.
United responded firmly just before half-time as young defender Yoro netted his first goal for the club in the stoppage time. In the 88th minute, it seemed that Joshua Zirkee had secured a win for the United with a header; however, in the dying minutes, goalie Onana failed to hold onto a shot from Georges Mikautadze, which allowed Cherki to score the equaliser. This balanced the tie ahead of the second leg quarters.
At the Ibrox Stadium, Rangers hosted Athletic Bilbao in a game that turned out to be a goalless draw, brewing much drama. At the start of the game, Rangers faced adversity when defender Robin Propper was ousted in the 13th minute for denying a clear scoring opportunity after a VAR review. Going from 11 to ten men, Rangers’ goalie Liam Kelly displayed a standout performance, saving a penalty in the 78th minute by Alex Berenguer.
The Scottish side suffered another setback when the 18-year-old Bailey Rice had to be stretchered off due to a head injury. Bilbao had several opportunities but failed to capitalise which left the tie open as they now head to Spain for the return leg.
Hotspur, Frankfurt play draw
Tottenham Hotspur and Eintracht Frankfurt faced off in their first-leg clash at the White Hart Lane where the guests struck early, with Hugo Ekitiké scoring an excellent individual goal from 25 yards just sixth minutes into the game. Spurs scored the equaliser in the 26th minute as Pedro Porro exceuted a clever backheel flick set up by his teammate James Maddison.
Despite their domination during the second half where they created several chances including efforts from Lucas Bergvall and Son Heung-min hitting the goal frame, the Spurs couldn’t find a winner. Frankfurt’s goalkeeper Kaua Santos also stood firm for his side, making crucial saves to preserve the draw. The tie remains poised ahead of the second leg of quarter-finals in Germany.
The first leg quarterfinals of the Europa League were quite dramatic as Lyon played out a 2-2 draw with United, a 10-man Rangers team held on against Bilbao while Spurs were left frustrated by Frankfurt. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
