Europa League

CAOIMHIN KELLEHER showed just how much he was prepared to put his body on the line against Atalanta last night.The keeper pulled off a stunning save in the first half… using his FACE.Caoimhin Kelleher did well to shut down Mario PasalicCredit: TNT SportsHe winced in pain straight awayCredit: TNT SportsHis eye showed signs of bruising straight awayCredit: TNT SportsThe chance came after the ball dropped to Mario Pasalic just outside the six-yard box.Kelleher, 25, did brilliantly to scramble towards the midfielder and stop the shot with his visage.The ball left a visible bruise afterwards under Kelleher’s eye.Fan on X were quick to react to the brilliant improvisation from Kelleher.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLOne fan wrote: “What a save.”Another said: “That’s a good stop.”But some fans disagreed with the idea that the save was good.One fan wrote: “Literally hits him on the head. Not a save, Jesus.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSA fourth fan said: “What a stop 😂 it hit his face?”Despite Kelleher’s brave keeping in the first-half, it was a night to forget for Liverpool.Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy opens up on cocaine addiction after retiring before finding his way as BBC pundit West Ham reject Gianluca Scamacca scored a brace and Mario Pasalic made up for the Kelleher save as they made it 3-0 in the first-leg of the quarter-final.The loss is a massive dent in Jurgen Klopp’s hopes of winning a treble to sign off as Liverpool manager this season. More

A WEST Ham fan has been seriously hurt after being hit by a road sweeper before tonight’s Europa quarter-final clash with Leverkusen.The 68-year-old was hit at a pedestrian traffic light near Cologne Cathedral, close to where hundreds of Hammers were singing and enjoying beers.A West Ham fan has been seriously injured after being hit by a road sweeper in Cologne. Stock picCredit: GettyWest Ham fans have travelled to Germany to see their side’s clash with LeverkusenCredit: GettyIt is understood he may have fallen under the truck’s brushes and suffered head injuries. The machine then struck a traffic light pole, which left the driver injured.Cops said the West Ham fan suffered “life-threatening injuries” on Wednesday night.But his condition has stabilised today after he was treated by doctors in hospital, reports the Mail.More on West HamAround 4,000 West Ham fans are in Germany ahead of today’s game at 8pm.But only 1,750 have tickets for the quarter-final first leg with Bayer Leverkusen.Meanwhile, Europe’s leading fan group has slammed Uefa over the “paltry” ticket allocation for the Europa League final in Dublin.Liverpool and West Ham will be given 12,000 tickets each if they reach the Aviva Stadium on May 22, representing just half the 48,000 capacity.Most read in FootballFans of both clubs have just days to apply for the initial allocation of £34 “Fans First” seats that are available from a further 12,000 tickets on sale.But Football Supporters Europe (FSE) led the attack on Uefa, urging Europe’s governing body to perform a U-turn, increase the club allocations and “do right” by fans.Europa League quarter-final draw in full as Liverpool and West Ham learn their fate West Ham fired their way into the Europa League quarter-finals after already eliminating another German side, Freiburg, 5-0 last month.David Moyes took the handbrake off and was rewarded with five goals, including two stunners from Mohammed Kudus.Tonight West Ham will face Leverkusen, before the German side makes their way to London next week for a second clash next Thursday.Leverkusen are so far unbeaten this Europa League season – scoring 24 goals in their eight games.Midfielder Kalvin Phillips didn’t travel to Cologne with his teammates after suffering a hamstring strain in training on Tuesday. The on-loan Manchester City midfielder will also miss Sunday’s London derby against Fulham and is likely to miss the visit to Crystal Palace on April 21.READ MORE SUN STORIESAnd West Ham are still unclear as to when Jarrod Bowen will return from his back injury, though there is hope he will be able to feature in the second leg against Bayer Leverkusen next week. More

EUROPE’S leading fan group slammed Uefa over the “paltry” ticket allocation for the Europa League final in Dublin.Liverpool and West Ham will be given 12,000 tickets each if they reach the Aviva Stadium on May 22, representing just half the 48,000 capacity.Fans have slammed Uefa over the ‘paltry’ ticket allocation for Europa League final at the Aviva stadiumCredit: RexLiverpool and West Ham will be given 12,000 tickets each if they reach the final on May 22Credit: RexFans of both clubs have seven days to apply for the initial allocation of £34 “Fans First” seats that are available from a further 12,000 tickets on sale.But Football Supporters Europe (FSE) led the attack on Uefa, urging Europe’s governing body to perform a U-turn, increase the club allocations and “do right” by fans.FSE said that while Uefa had made “encouraging progress in recent seasons”, the Dublin decision was a step back in the wrong direction and was a “serious concern”.The two clubs making the Champions league final at Wembley on June 1 will each get 25,000 seats, with a further 10,000 on general sale.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLFans of Arsenal and Manchester City can now apply for “Fans First” tickets at £60 for seats behind the Wembley goals, with top priced tickets costing £610.And Aston Villa will be handed 9,000 seats if they reach the Conference League Final in Athens on May 29, with a further 3,000 tickets available at just £21.But FSE contrasted the percentages of seats available in London and the Greek capital with those in Dublin, accusing Uefa of guaranteeing a black market that would prey on fans’ passion for their club.It said: “The Champions League final at Wembley will see the largest finalists’ allocation for the competition in a decade – 58 per cent.Most read in Europa LeagueBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER“For the Europa Conference League Final in Athens, 66 per cent of tickets will go to the finalist clubs’ supporters, which is an all-time high for any Uefa club competition final.”Despite this, a consistent approach across all finals is still needed.Martin Lipton gives his round up on the Europa League draw “A paltry 50 per cent of capacity for Europa League finalist clubs is, simply, not good enough and falls well short of FSE’s demand to provide at least 66 per cent of tickets for all European finals to supporters of the teams involved.“Fans of competing teams need to be given clear priority over public sale options.“A higher allocation of tickets for general sale will significantly fuel black market ticket activity, exploiting fans’ loyalty in the process.”FSE executive director Ronan Evain added: “Uefa has made steady progress over the last few seasons in recognising the importance of offering a high number of tickets to the finalists’ most dedicated supporters.“But it is extremely disappointing that the Europa League final in Dublin will represent such a step backward.“We urge Uefa and the local organisers to reconsider their ticketing policy and offer a significantly higher allocation to the two finalist clubs.”Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoridis admitted last month to concerns about Dublin being potentially inundated with fans without tickets, revealing that Croke Park had been identified as a potential venue for public screening of the match. More