Europa League

MANCHESTER UNITED will fly the English flag tonight as they take on Spanish side Villarreal in the Europa League final.The Red Devils are not the only British team to enjoy a famous run in Europe’s secondary competition this century – and many have been forgotten.
Roy Hodgson was so close to guiding Fulham to Europa League glory in 2010, losing the final in extra-time to Atletico MadridCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Five English clubs have won the Europa League since it was founded as the Uefa Cup in 1971: Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Chelsea and the Red Devils.
But even more have enjoyed long runs in it – including Wigan Athletic and Birmingham City, who have both competed in Europe as Championship clubs.
Here, SunSport have picked out eight forgetful teams that have represented England on the continent this century.
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Ipswich Town
Ex-champs Ipswich enjoyed a resurgence at the beginning of the century, finishing fifth in the Premier League to qualify for Europe again.
And George Burley’s side did well in the 2001-02 tournament, defeating Torpedo Moscow and Helsingborg before succumbing to Inter Milan in the third round.
The Tractor Boys were relegated from the Premier League that season but still qualified for Europe again due to the fair play rule, reaching the second round as second tier club.
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn were regulars in Europe before their Premier League relegation in 2012, suffering defeats to eventual finalists Celtic in 2002-03 and Turkish side Genclerbirligi the following season.
Rovers’ best effort this century came under Mark Hughes in 2006-07, overcoming Basel, Wisla Krakow, Feyenoord and Nancy to reach the knock-out stage, where they lost Bayer Leverkusen.
Blackburn fans won’t want to remember their 2007-08 campaign – losing to minnows AEL in the first round – although we’re sure they’d happily take a to Greece these days.
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton star Ricardo Gardner takes on two Bayern Munich players in the Allianz ArenaCredit: PA:Press Association
Bolton enjoyed two brilliant runs in the Uefa Cup during the 2000s, reaching the last 32 under big Sam Allardyce in 2005-06.
But the Trotters’ greatest European adventure came under Gary Megson two years later, securing a 2-2 draw against BAYERN MUNICH at the Allianz Arena and knocking out ATLETICO MADRID to reach the last 16.
How times have changed…
Southampton
Premier League Southampton haven’t enjoyed the best time in the Europa League since the turn of the century, losing to Steaua Bucharest in 2003-04 and Midtjylland in a 2015-16 play-off.
But the Saints did make history the following season, beating Italian giants Inter 2-1 at St Mary’s in the group stage thanks to a Virgil van Dijk equaliser and an own goal.
Claude Puel’s side went on to suffer heartbreak in the final group game, drawing 1-1 to Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva to finish third – missing out by the barest of margins.
Portsmouth
Kaka and Ronaldinho arrive at Fratton Park for AC Milan’s game against PompeyCredit: PA:Press Association
Portsmouth qualified for Europe in 2007-08 after winning the FA Cup.
They were drawn against AC Milan, who had won the Champions League just two years earlier and played Dida, Andriy Shevchenko, Clarence Seedorf and Kaka in their group match at Fratton Park.
The match finished 2-2 thanks to a late Filippo Inzaghi goal, with Andrea Pirlo left on the bench (in case you were wondering).
Fulham
Fulham have had three goes in Europe since the turn of the century, but their 2009-10 effort was by far the most impressive.
Roy Hodgson’s side reached the Europa League final after beating Vetra, Amkar Perm, Basel, CSKA Sofia, Shakhtar Donetsk, JUVENTUS, Wolfsburg and Hamburg.
It was an incredible run, ended by Atletico and a late Diego Forlan goal in extra time.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing is devastated their Uefa Cup run didn’t end in gloryCredit: PA:Press Association
And Fulham aren’t the only surprise English team to make the final as Middlesbrough achieved the feat in 2005-06.
Steve McClaren – in his last assignment before becoming England manager – guided Boro to wins against Skoda Xanthi, Grasshopper, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Litex Lovech, Stuttgart, ROMA, Basel and Steaua Bucuresti to reach the final.
They were humbled in the showpiece event by Sevilla, losing 4-0 to the Spanish giants.
Millwall
Championship Millwall are probably the most fortunate English team to qualify for the Uefa Cup.
The London club enjoyed the luckiest cup run in history when they reached the FA Cup final in 2004, not facing a single Premier League team.
Manchester United comfortably won the final 3-0, but because the Red Devils had already qualified for Europe, the runners-up were given the prize and lost to Hungarian side Ferencvaros in the first round.
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Championship Birmingham, who had qualified after winning the League Cup, narrowly missed out on a place in the knock-out stages after picking up 10 points in 2011-12.
In the same season, FA Cup runners-up Stoke City reached were knocked out in the last 32 by Spanish giants Valencia.
FA Cup winners Wigan did themselves proud by picking up five group stage points as a second tier club in 2013-14, beating Maribor.
League Cup winners Swansea City famously hammered VALENCIA 3-0 at the Mestalla before losing to Napoli in 2013-14.
FA Cup runners-up Hull City failed to progress beyond the play-offs in 2014-15, losing to Lokeren.
And neither did Burnley in 2018-19, losing to Olympiacos.
Wolves enjoyed a superb campaign in 2019-20, losing to eventual winners Sevilla in the quarter-finals.

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Manchester United train ahead of Europa League final More

MANCHESTER UNITED fans have been getting into the party spirit in Gdansk ahead of tonight’s Europa League final.The Red Devils will be backed by 2,000 travelling supporters from England tonight, as they face Villarreal in the Baltic city.
Fans in Gdansk have been in great spiritsCredit: Reuters
United’s travelling contingent have enjoyed their European adventureCredit: Reuters
Flares were set off in the streetsCredit: PA
The pints have been flowingCredit: Reuters
And as fans starved of European travel have arrived in the city, they’ve been quick to revel in the adventure and have a good time.
A great number have been seen enjoying Gdansk’s bars.
And no shortage of pints have been consumed in the city centre.
Plenty of United red has seen around town, while songs of yesteryear have also been sung.
Some fans have even mingled with their Villarreal counterparts, with Anglo-Spanish relations in Poland believed to have been mostly friendly and cordial.
Among United fans that have flown over for the match is club legend Wayne Rooney.
The Red Devils’ all-time leading goalscorer and current Derby County manager will be in the stands tonight to cheer on his former side.
Three supporters suffered minor injuries last night, after being attacked in a bar.
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Villarreal fans have also been out in forceCredit: EPA
The Spaniards are also well up for tonight’s gameCredit: EPA
Man United fans have their eyes on the prize this eveningCredit: EPA
Red Devils fans hope to see United stars get their hands on the real thing later tonightCredit: EPA

A United statement confirmed: “Club staff were assisting a number of United fans in Gdansk last night and today after an incident where some of our supporters were attacked outside a bar in the city.”
BBC reporter Simon Stone says the trouble was not between rival fans and the mood between the two sets of supporters is ‘good natured’.
United fans will hope that club icon Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can win his first silverware as manager of the club tonight, 22 years to the day since his Champions League final heroics against Bayern Munich in Barcelona.
But the Norwegian has been at pains to play down the significance of the date.
He said: “No, I don’t even think about that. Always think forward, always focus on making the right decision for the club, the players and this team.
“I never think of my own CV, definitely not. That’s never been on my mind at all.”
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Man Utd fans arrive at Gdansk airport ahead of Europa League final More

MANCHESTER UNITED fans have been left excited by footage of Amad Diallo making the beautiful game look easy in training.The winger, 18, has only been at United since January after completing a stunning £37million switch from Atalanta.
Amad Diallo has been making the beautiful game look easy in trainingCredit: PA
Diallo sliced opponents apart with an incredible run and pass during training
Diallo has one goal in eight appearances under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
And his whirlwind 2021 continued with a first senior appearance for Ivory Coast in March.
But Diallo looks only to be getting better and better judging by some impressive skills on the training field.
United had a session on Tuesday evening at the Polsat Plus Arena in Gdansk, Poland, ahead of tonight’s Europa League final against Villarreal.
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A mini-match between players saw Diallo pick up the ball in a central location before darting between two oncoming opponents.
The teen then sliced through the other side’s defence with an exquisite playmaker’s pass to find Daniel James.
And the Welshman put the finishing touches on the move by firing his shot precisely into the back of the goal.
Diallo’s silky skills certainly got United fans buzzing ahead of tonight’s game.
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One tweeted: “Look at the weight on that pass. Amad is really something.”
Another added: “If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Amad is he almost always makes the right pass at the right time.
“I can’t wait to see how he turns out for us.”
Despite his fine showing in training, Diallo is not expected to start for United this evening.

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about amad he almost always makes the right pass at the right time I can’t wait to see how he turns out for us— Jayda ❦ (@ahnnyjekyll) May 25, 2021

Marcus Rashford is set to line up on the right flank, with Paul Pogba on the left and Bruno Fernandes in behind Edinson Cavani.
That allows the midfield pivot of Fred and Scott McTominay to continue, with Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka at full-back.
David De Gea and Victor Lindelof will also start, while Eric Bailly is set to continue in place of the injured Harry Maguire.
But Solskjaer could yet spring a surprise by playing youngster Axel Tuanzebe instead – or even Maguire himself after keeping the status of his captain’s injury under close guard.

Man Utd fans arrive at Gdansk airport ahead of Europa League final More

SEVERAL Manchester United fans were reportedly injured last night following an attack by locals in Poland ahead of the Europa League Final.The Red Devils are in Gdansk to take on Villarreal this evening as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to land his first piece of silverware as manager.
Man Utd and Villarreal fans have been mingling in Gdansk ahead of the Europa League FinalCredit: Reuters
Three Manchester United fans were injured after an attack by locals last night in GdanskCredit: Getty
Around 2,000 supporters from England are travelling to Poland for the finalCredit: Getty
A group dressed in dark clothes appeared to be behind the attackCredit: Twitter
Chairs and tables were left upturned after the incident in GdanskCredit: Twitter
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A number of fans, including United and England legend Wayne Rooney, have flown over to watch the action live.
However, three supporters suffered minor injuries after they were attacked in a bar yesterday.
A United statement confirmed: “Club staff were assisting a number of United fans in Gdansk last night and today after an incident where some of our supporters were attacked outside a bar in the city.”
BBC reporter Simon Stone says the trouble was not between rival fans and the mood between the two sets of supporters is ‘good natured’.
Roughly 2,000 United fans are travelling to Gdansk for the clash against the Spanish side.
Fights reportedly broke out in the city centre on Tuesday evening.
The trouble occurred outside a bar in the Polish city as chairs were smashed while bottles and glasses were also thrown.
A clip has surfaced on social media that shows a group of what appear to be locals, dressed in dark clothes, chanting and running from a bar in the city.
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Both sets of fans have been partying in the city this afternoonCredit: Reuters
Both groups of fans have been mingling and enjoying a pint pre-matchCredit: Reuters

They left both tables and chairs overturned.
A different video has also been shared from the same venue from earlier in the evening.
That shows United fans singing and enjoying their first away trip since early in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
United received a ticket allocation of 2,000 tickets from Uefa for the Europa League Final.
Around 1,000 fans are set to arrive in Gdansk today for the finalCredit: Reuters
The Red Devils have received an allocation of 2,000 tickets from UefaCredit: Reuters
Fans are hoping to see United lift their first bit of silverware since 2017Credit: Reuters

Although some are already there, around 1,000 fans are due to arrive in Gdansk today.
One of those is the club’s all-time top goalscorer Rooney.
The now Derby County boss shared a snap of him and his son on-board a plane this morning and captioned it with: “Next stop, Poland.”
Rooney’s last game for United was to help them win the 2017 Europa League against Ajax.
Fans of Villarreall are also descending into PolandCredit: Reuters
Relations between the two sets of supporters are said to be ‘good natured’Credit: Reuters
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