Sevilla staged a miraculous comeback at Old Trafford, scoring twice beyond the 84th minute to rescue a 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final, denying the Red Devils a first-ever head-to-head win.Looking to keep up his side’s incredible record of winning this competition every time they’ve reached the quarter-finals, new Sevilla manager José Luis Mendilibar made seven changes to the side that drew with Celta Vigo over the weekend and his new-look side struggled to gel from the off. The visitors were lucky not to be behind in the first minute when Jadon Sancho neatly put the ball in the back of the net, only for the goal to be quickly ruled out for offside.The hosts were unbeaten in their last 24 matches at Old Trafford and it was easy to see why in the first 20 minutes as they carved the visitors open at will. The player who benefited most from his side’s impressive opening performance was Marcel Sabitzer who notched a brace during this period courtesy of two dazzling assists. Firstly, Bruno Fernandes took out four players with one pass to put Sabitzer through on goal and finish via a deflection, before Anthony Martial supplied a defence-splitting ball to put the Austrian in once more to coolly fire beyond Yassine Bounou and put the Red Devils two ahead in the early stages.Sevilla nearly got back into the game with the final action of the first half when David de Gea saved Tanguy Nianzou’s header at point-blank range, before Raphaël Varane brilliantly cleared off the line to preserve the hosts’ two-goal lead at the break. Antony almost put the game out of sight for the Red Devils early in the second half when he danced past two defenders before releasing a beautifully curled effort that crashed back off the post.The visitors gave themselves a lifeline in the tie right at the end of the game when Tyrell Malacia went to sleep at the back post, allowing Jesús Navas to sneak behind him and turn the ball in with the help of deflections from Malacia and De Gea to halve the hosts’ deficit against the run of play. What was looking a straightforward night for Erik ten Hag got even worse in the closing stages when Lisandro Martínez was stretchered off, before the Old Trafford crowd was stunned by a stunning Sevilla equaliser. Top scorer Youssef En-Nesyri’s header was drifting well wide of the target, but it took a wicked deflection off United captain Harry Maguire and past De Gea to give the Spaniards the upper hand ahead of the second leg, which will see Red Devils playmaker Bruno Fernandes suspended.Elsewhere, Juventus extended their unbeaten home record in the Europa League to 14 matches with a 1-0 victory over Sporting in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.Given where both teams sit in their respective domestic competitions, they were well aware that the Europa League is their most likely path into next season’s Champions League. The Old Lady, who had never lost at home in the competition, made a positive start to the game, with Federico Chiesa latching on to Ángel Di María’s long pass before seeing his shot inside the area saved by Antonio Adán. Having knocked current Premier League leaders Arsenal out in the last round, the Portuguese outfit knew they could pose a threat. And after soaking up the early pressure, they grew into the contest with Hidemasa Morita shooting just wide from distance, before captain Sebastián Coates’ acrobatic volley from a corner was well saved by Wojciech Szczęsny.UEL: Halfway to revenge – Mourinho’s Roma fall in the NetherlandsRúben Amorim’s side were visibly growing in confidence, with the hosts struggling to keep hold of the ball. On the half-hour mark, their top scorer in the Europa League this season, Pedro Gonçalves, had a shot saved at the near post by Szczęsny, before Gleison Bremer blocked Nuno Santos’ goalbound effort. The home fans were growing increasingly frustrated, and their mood wasn’t helped when Szczęsny was forced off through injury with halftime approaching.Sporting had won just two of their last 16 Europa League knockout games, but they sensed a real opportunity to take the initiative in the second half, with Gonçalves’ shot from range well saved by Mattia Perin two minutes after the restart. Although Juventus had never lost at home in the Europa League, they were looking somewhat vulnerable against the lively Lions, who had clearly come to play for more than just a draw.The game appeared to be meandering towards a stalemate, however the hosts went ahead against the run of play when Federico Gatti forced the ball home from close range, ensuring the Old Lady hold a narrow advantage heading into next week’s second leg in Lisbon.Juventus opens the scoring, Gatti scores in the 73rd minute⚽️ pic.twitter.com/BAhC4cIQCO— Ukrainian Dream (@Socceri01388575) April 13, 2023 UEFA EUROPA LEAGUEQuarter-final, first legThursdayFeyenoord – Roma 1-0 (1-0)/Wieffer 54/Man.Utd. – Sevilla 2-2 (2-0)/Sabitzer 14, 21 – Malacia 84 og, Maguire 90+2 og/Juventus – Sporting 1-0 (0-0)/Gatti 73/Leverkusen – St.Gilloise 1-1 (0-0)/Wirtz 82 – Boniface 51/***odds are subject to change***
