The Europa League provided an action-packed round of fixtures on its return to the soccer calendar yesterday. An impressive 11 goals were scored in the four matches that were played, with plenty of further drama being exhibited on the field.
The first game of the evening saw Ukrainian outfit FC Shakhtar Donetsk take on Bundesliga side Wolfsburg. While Shakhtar walked into the game with a 2-1 aggregate lead, the Ukrainian giants showed no signs of slowing down as they steamrolled their German opposition in a dramatic 3-0 victory.
Contrary to what the scoreline shows, the game remained tight throughout. In fact, it remained goalless until the 89th minute, when Junior Moraes grabbed the lead for Shakhtar. In the first minute of injury time, Manor Solomon doubled Shakhtar’s lead while Moraes scored his second and Shakhtar’s third just two minutes later.
After losing the first leg 1-0, the Danish side Copenhagen turned things around by defeating the Turkish team Instanbul Basaksehir 3-0. Manchester United enjoyed a comfortable 2-1 win over LASK, with Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial scoring after the Red Devils carelessly handed LASK the lead. Having won the first leg 5-0, the Red Devils were under minimal pressure during their second clash.
The final match of the evening saw Serie A giants Inter Milan come up against La Liga’s Getafe. As the only teams yet to face one another before the coronavirus shutdown, this clash was narrowed down to a single leg of action. Inter proved to be the superior side on the night, securing their spot in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory.
