Article top media content
Article body
Newly-crowned Scottish champions Rangers will be looking to profit from home advantage as they take on Czech tile holders and league leaders Slavia Praha at Ibrox with this UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie intriguingly poised at 1-1.
• Rangers topped their UEFA Europa League group in impressive style during the autumn, doing the double over both Lech Poznań and Standard Liège as well as holding Benfica to two draws. In the round of 32 they posted two further wins against Belgian opposition, seeing off Antwerp 9-5 on aggregate (4-3 a, 5-2 h) in the highest-scoring UEFA Europa League knockout phase tie of all time.
Published on: Saturday, March 13, 2021
By: AFP
Text Size:
AC Milan’s Simon Kjaer (left) heads the ball to score the equaliser against Manchester United.
PARIS: Simon Kjaer’s last-gasp equaliser gave AC Milan a dramatic 1-1 draw at Manchester United on Thursday, handing the Italians a great chance of reaching the Europa League quarter-finals while Roma, Tottenham and Arsenal cruised closer to the last-eight.
Kjaer netted with a bullet header in the final seconds of stoppage time of the last 16, first leg encounter at Old Trafford, levelling the scores after Amad Diallo had opened in the 50th minute with his first United goal.
MANCHESTER: AC Milan’s Simon Kjaer (third L) heads to score the equaliser during the Europa League round-of-16 first leg against Manchester United at Old Trafford. AFP
PARIS: A stoppage-time header from defender Simon Kjaer earned AC Milan a 1-1 draw at Manchester United in the blockbuster Europa League last-16 first-leg at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Kjaer’s goal after teenager Amad Diallo had given United the lead leaves the clash of the heavyweights in the balance ahead of the second leg in the San Siro next week.
This is a great result, we played really well, showed personality and I think we dominated,” the defender told Sky Sport Italia.
AC Milan have eliminated Man. United from UEFA competition four times in total, and Stefano Pioli’s side have a slight edge as they look to make that four into a five, Simon Kjær’s last-gasp equaliser at Old Trafford fair reward for the Serie A outfit. The spirit of this team is simply amazing, the coach said. We want to take control of every game, and we are working hard to do so.
Having lost their first four matches against Milan at San Siro without scoring, United were 3-2 victors on their last visit in 2010. They need at least one goal there this time, with the Red Devils hoping that missed chances – like the one that fell to captain Harry Maguire – will not come back to haunt them in Italy. Ole Gunnar Solskjær took a philosophical line as he drew a line under the first leg, saying: It was always going to be down to the second game there anyway. So it is.
Helander leveller gives Rangers advantage while Ajax and Roma storm to victories
Rangers were crowned Scottish Premiership champions over the weekend. By Press Association Thursday 11 Mar 2021, 10:02 PM Mar 11th 2021, 8:24 PM 2,769 Views 1 Comment
Rangers players celebrate Filip Helander s goal.
Image: PA
Image: PA
Updated Mar 11th 2021, 10:02 PM
FILIP HELANDER’S AWAY goal was the perfect hangover cure for Rangers as the newly-crowned Scottish champions recovered to claim a 1-1 draw with Slavia Prague in the Czech capital.
Steven Gerrard’s team spent Sunday partying after sealing the Ibrox outfit’s first league title in a decade.
But their wild weekend appeared to catch up with them at the Eden Arena as they backed off to allow Nicolae Stanciu to fire Slavia into an early lead.