Europa League

A FORMER FC Midtjyland player has admitted that he got his “ass whooped” by Marcus Rashford on the forward’s famous debut – and that he “had never heard of” of the ace.It was the seven-year anniversary three days ago since the hotshot burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old with a brace against FC Midtjyland in the Europa League.
Ex-FC Midtjylland captain Tim Sparv says he ‘got my ass whooped’ by Marcus RashfordCredit: EPA
Marcus Rashford famously scored twice on his Man Utd debutCredit: Getty
Rashford was handed his opportunity after Anthony Martial was injured in the warm-up as the Red Devils aimed to bounce back from a 2-1 first leg deficit.
The star took full advantage to score twice inside 12 minutes in front of the Stretford End in a memorable 5-1 win and has not looked back since.
However, one man who is sick of hearing about that unforgettable night is Tim Sparv, who captained FC Midtjylland at old Trafford.
The former Finnish international midfielder, 36, previously took to Twitter in 2020 to reply to a United post celebrating the anniversary.
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He wrote: “Every year, like clockwork! This must be bordering on bullying soon.”
That led to a response from Rashford himself, who wrote: “Haha sorry bro, it’s all love.”
Now the retired Sparv, who had a three-year spell at Southampton as a youngster, has responded again after a clip was shared of Rashford’s scoring exploits on the anniversary again.
He wrote: “It’s been seven years since I got my ass whooped by a guy I had never heard of.”
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Rashford is still proving to be the scourge of defenders across Europe with his exploits for United both domestically and in the Europa League.
He had a shot deflected into the Newcastle net as United claimed the Carabao Cup at Wembley on Sunday.
Despite that initially going down as an own goal, he has now officially been credited with it.
And that means that his record since returning from England duty at the World Cup has outshone stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
He has bagged 17 goals since December, taking his total to a career-best 25 for the campaign. More

ERIK TEN HAG has been the master of substitutions this season as Manchester United subs have scored more than any other team.Antony scored the winner from the bench against Barcelona on Thursday to send the Red Devils through to the next round of the Europa League.
Manchester United have more goals from subs than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues
Antony scored the winner from the bench against BarcelonaCredit: PA
That is one of 19 goals scored by United substitutes this season, per Opta.
No other team in Europe’s top five leagues can match Ten Hag’s ability to impact a game with Napoli and Villarreal next best.
Both sides have 17 goals from substitutions this season with Napoli 15 points clear at the top of Serie A as a result.
Ten Hag has got the best out of attackers like Marcus Rashford, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho, particularly in the last few weeks.
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And his tactical genius is underpinned by the fact that no other English club is even in the top ten for goals by substitutes.
Instead three other Spanish sides are included – Barcelona have while Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid each have 12.
Five other teams are tied on 12 – Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Fiorentina, Monaco and Stade Reims.
Ten Hag has transformed United this season and he has been compared to Sir Alex Ferguson by Peter Schmeichel.
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He said: “It has taken 10 years to get to this point,’ for me this season anything can really happen.
“Manchester United can win everything or nothing but we have seen the progress.
“Every situation has been dealt with properly by Erik ten Hag, like a good manager should.
“Like vintage Sir Alex Ferguson… I am sitting here thinking ‘wow, we have got the right man’.” More

ARSENAL have learned that Sporting Lisbon will be their opponent in the next round of the Europa League. The Gunners topped their group so did not need to follow Manchester United into a play-off, instead getting a pass straight into the Last 16.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners will face Sporting Lisbon in the next round of the Europa LeagueCredit: Reuters
And following the draw, Arsenal will be up against Sporting Lisbon, who were knocked down from Tottenham’s group in the Champions League.
Arsenal’s last game against the Portuguese giants came as recently as 2018, ending in a 0-0 draw, but they have undergone a major makeover since then.
In fact, only two members of the squad have survived since Mikel Arteta began his rebuild at the Emirates.
And now, those two stars will have the chance to face Sporting once again.
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The first of the retained stars is Emile Smith Rowe, who started the game at the tender age of 18.
The other star in question is defender Rob Holding, who sat in the heart of the defence.
He partnered Sokratis at centre-back in front of then goalkeeper and captain Petr Cech.
Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner took up the role as right-back, while Carl Jenkinson filled in as an auxiliary left-back.
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Here’s how Arsenal lined up against Sporting in 2018
In midfield, Aaron Ramsey was paired with Matteo Guendouzi, with the pair now both playing their football in Ligue 1.
Two of the front three have retained spots in the Premier League, albeit with differing success for those teams at present.
Now Brighton ace Danny Welbeck spearheaded the Gunners attack in the match, while Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi was deployed at left-wing.
The attack was completed by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who flattered to deceive at Arsenal following a transfer from Man Utd.
While only two stars from the starting XI have been retained, the bench features two players who are still at the club, though one is out on loan.
The first is Southampton loanee Ainsely Maitland-Niles, who replaced Lichtsteiner in the 73rd minute.
The other is Eddie Nketiah, who is the only starter in Arsenal’s current squad from the 2018 fixture.
But the Hale End graduate was not given any minutes in the game by then coach Unai Emery.
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Instead, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replaced Welbeck when he went off injured in the 30th minute, while Sead Kolasinac was subbed on for Jenkinson at the 60 minute mark.
Others stars on the bench included World Cup winners Emiliano Martinez and Shkodran Mustafi, as Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torrerira completed the squad. More