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      Benfica star Joao Neves reduced to tears as fans chant in support of 19-year-old following mum’s death in Europa League

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      BENFICA star Joao Neves was reduced to tears after a touching tribute from his fans at the Estadio da Luz tonight.The 19-year-old’s mother died last week after a long battle with cancer and the midfielder was emotional as soon as the final whistle blew.
      Joao Neves was emotional at the final whistleCredit: Reuters
      Neves thanked fans for their supportCredit: Reuters
      The Benfica faithful showed their support for Neves by chanting his name at the end of the game.
      And the support of his fans brought the young midfielder to tears.
      Benfica drew 0-0 with Toulouse on the night, which was enough to see them advance through to the next round.
      Neves has played 38 times in all competitions for Benfica this year, despite being just 19 years old.
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      He has already been capped three times by Portugal.
      A combative deep-lying midfielder in the Rodri mould, Neves was linked with a big money move to the Premier League in the summer and January.
      United were interested in the midfielder last summer, although the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo in his position may see their interest in him cool.
      He has also attracted the interest of Arsenal as they look to replace Thomas Partey in the summer.
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      Neves was thrust into the Benfica first team last year when he was just 18 to replace the outgoing Enzo Fernandez, who signed for Chelsea in a £107million deal.
      Benfica were playing in the play-off of the Europa League after dropping down from the Champions League this year.
      They will find out their opponents in the round of 16 in March. More

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      Europa League last-16 draw simulated with Liverpool landing glamour tie and Rangers set for horror clash

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      LIVERPOOL have landed an iconic European tie against AC Milan in SunSport’s simulated Europa League draw.The Reds sailed through to the last-16 after winning a group containing Toulouse, Union Saint-Gilloise and LASK.
      Liverpool could face AC Milan in the Europa League last-16Credit: Reuters
      The two teams played each other in the Champions League final in 2005 and 2007Credit: Getty
      That meant they bypassed the play-off round contested between the group runners-up and the teams that were knocked out of the Champions League.
      Milan were one of those teams after finishing third in their Champions League group behind Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
      And they already have one foot in the next round after demolishing Rennes 3-0 at the San Siro last week.
      They face the Ligue Un side in the return leg this week and if they win they could set up a meeting with Liverpool in the next round.
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      Jurgen Klopp’s side are one of eight seeded teams Milan could face along with West Ham, Brighton and Rangers – all of whom won their groups.
      SunSport has simulated the draw for the next round and Liverpool vs Milan is the pick of the ties, though Rangers have also been handed a tricky test against Benfica or Toulouse.
      There is plenty of European history between Liverpool and Milan with the two giants facing off twice in the Champions League final in 2005 and 2007.
      Liverpool famously came back from 3-0 down to beat the Italians in Istanbul in 2005 before the Rosseneri took revenge two years later, winning 2-1.
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      SunSport’s simulated Europa League draw in full
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      The pair met more recently in the Champions League in 2021 with Liverpool winning the second round clash 5-3 on aggregate.
      Elsewhere in our simulated draw West Ham face an eye-catching clash against Sparta Prague or Galatasaray, who won at Manchester United this season.
      Liverpool teen and son of ex-Premier League star making his own way in game as he shares sweet moment with Rob Edwards
      Brighton also have another exciting European adventure on the cards, with Rome or Rotterdam the next destination for travelling Seagulls.
      Roberto De Zerbi’s side picked up results at Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens already this campaign, and could fancy their chances despite the pedigree of Roma and Feyenoord, who met in the 2022 Europa Conference League final.
      Marseille finished second in their group behind Brighton and have been given a dreaded tie against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen – as long as they beat Shakhtar Donetsk.
      Elsewhere Atalanta will take on Sporting Lisbon or Young Boys while Villarreal play Braga or Qarabag.
      Slavia Prague vs Lens or Freiburg rounds up SunSport’s simulated draw, with the actual draw set to take place on Friday at 11am. More

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      When is Europa League last-16 draw? Date, UK start time and FREE stream as Liverpool & West Ham learn opponents

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      THE draw for the Europa League last-16 will take place this week – and some huge names are in the hat.Liverpool, West Ham, Brighton and Rangers are among the clubs that have already secured their place in the knockout stage after finishing top of their respective groups.
      Liverpool have already secured their place in the last-16 of the Europa LeagueCredit: GETTY
      The eight group winners from this season’s Europa League automatically qualify for the last-16.
      The runners-up face the eight teams that finished third in their respective Champions League groups in a two-legged play-off round.
      Winners of the play-off ties will join the Europa League group champions in the hat for the last-16.
      When is the Europa League last-16 draw?

      The Europa League last-16 draw will take place on Friday, February 23.
      The draw commences at 11am GMT.
      It will take place at the Uefa headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

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      What TV channel is the Europa League last-16 draw on and can it be live streamed FREE?

      The Europa League last-16 draw will be FREE to watch on Uefa.com.
      TNT Sports 2 will also broadcast the draw with TNT Sports customers able to live stream on the discovery+ app.
      Alternatively, you can follow SunSport’s live blog for all the latest from the draw in Switzerland.

      Which teams are playing in the Europa League play-offs?
      Here are all the teams battling it out to secure a place in the Europa League last-16:
      *The first leg results in brackets, the second legs take place on Thursday

      Feyenoord (1) vs Roma (1)
      Galatasaray (3) vs Sparta Prague (2)
      Shakhtar Donetsk (2) vs Marseille (2)
      Young Boys (1) vs Sporting Lisbon (3)
      Benfica (2) vs Toulouse (1)
      Lens (0) vs Freiburg (0)
      AC Milan (3) vs Rennes (0)
      Braga (2) vs Qarabag (4)

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      Which teams have already secured their place in the Europa League last-16
      Here are all the team already in the hat:

      Liverpool
      West Ham
      Brighton
      Atalanta
      Leverkusen
      Rangers
      Villarreal
      Slavia Prague

      When will the Europa League last-16 take place and what is the format of the ties?

      Ties take place over two legs, with the group winners at home in the second leg.
      The first legs are scheduled for March 7, with the second legs a week later on March 14.
      No away goals will count after 180 minutes, with penalties played if teams cannot be separated after an additional 30 minutes. More

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      Sweden star keen on transfer to England after starring in shock win over Liverpool

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      SWEDE Gustaf Nilsson fancies a move to England after starring at Union Saint-Gilloise.Striker Nilsson, 26, who scored for the Belgians in the Europa Conference League last week, is on a handful of Championship sides’ radar and would pick them over interested clubs in Europe.
      Gustaf Nilsson is attracting interest from several Championship clubsCredit: Rex
      He has been in terrific goalscoring form this season with ten goals in 21 league games.
      The 6ft4 striker would offer teams an aerial threat and his physical prowess would likely prove to be a handful in the EFL.
      Nilsson spent much of his career in the Swedish lower leagues after initially coming through at Falkenbergs.
      A transfer to top-flight Bronby followed but the move did not work out as Nilsson found game time difficult to come by.
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      He joined Danish side Silkeborg on loan and his form saw him win two caps for Sweden in 2018 – a tally he has not been able to add to since.
      Just two years ago Nilsson was playing in Germany’s third tier for Wehen Wiesbaden.
      But a return of 14 goals in 30 games led to attention from Union Saint-Gilloise, who were quick to snap him up.
      His form has sparked interest once again with fellow Belgian Pro League club Gent reported to have been monitoring the forward last month.
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      That came after he starred in Union Saint-Gilloise’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the Europa League.
      Nilsson is understood to have just one year remaining on his contract, although his club could trigger a one-year extension clause.
      Where are they now: The unusual careers of former footballers More

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      ‘Most ridiculous thing ever’ – Bizarre Europa League goal given after epic ‘draught excluder’ free-kick fail

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      QARABAG scored one of the most bizarre goals in Europa League history – thanks to a Braga star’s free-kick fail. The teams faced off in Portugal on Thursday night in the first leg of their knockout play-off.
      Victor Gomez took on the ‘draught excluder’ role for Braga in the Europa LeagueCredit: X formerly Twitter / @footballontnt
      He accidentally played all the Qarabag attackers onsideCredit: X formerly Twitter / @footballontnt
      Abdellah Zoubir pounced to turn the ball inCredit: X formerly Twitter / @footballontnt

      But the scores level at 1-1, Qarabag went back in front in baffling circumstances.
      Yassine Benzia’s initial free-kick 20 yards out hit the wall before falling to Abdellah Zoubir who rounded the goalkeeper and bundled into the back of the net.
      The goal, though, was initially ruled out for offside by the assistant referee.
      But when VAR checked the replays, they found that Zoubir was played on by the ‘draught excluder’ lying behind the wall.
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      The role – deployed by Braga defender Victor Gomez – is designed to allow the wall to jump and not risk a sneaky free-kick taker sliding the ball underneath them.
      However, it backfired for Braga when Gomez’s head was the closest Braga defender to his own goal line and therefore marked the offside line.
      Zoubir, though, was in an onside position when the initial free-kick was taken.
      Then with the wall landing from their jump and Gomez lying on the floor, he made the most of the freedom in the Braga penalty area to score.
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      The referee was instructed to award the goal, prompting wild celebrations for the Azerbaijani team and their dedicated fans who made the 9,600km round trip to Portugal.
      And those watching the Europa League action at home were left in disbelief.
      Watch astonishing moment Corinthians goalkeeper purposely doesn’t save free kick – but it’s for genius reason
      One said: “The draught excluder playing Qarabag all onside. Classic.”
      Another wrote: “It’s probably play of the year.”
      A third added: “Hopefully teams will stop doing it now cos it is one of the most ridiculous things that has ever come into the game.”
      And a shocked fourth simply commented: “No!”
      Zoubir added his second and Qarabag’s fourth of the night on 69 minutes before Joao Moutinho grabbed an injury-time penalty to keep Braga in the tie, trailing 4-2 going into the second leg next week.
      The initial free-kick hit the wallCredit: X formerly Twitter / @footballontnt
      The referee initially put his arm up to signal offsideCredit: X formerly Twitter / @footballontnt
      He overturned his decision after VAR had a lookCredit: X formerly Twitter / @footballontnt
      The goal prompted wild celebrationsCredit: X formerly Twitter / @footballontnt More

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      I beat Mourinho to Europa League title after KOing Man Utd… now I’m taking shock new job after 4 months unemployed

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      EUROPA LEAGUE winner Jose Luis Mendilibar is set to take over as Olympiacos’ new manager.Mendilibar helped steer Sevilla away from relegation when he was appointed late last season in March as Jorge Sampaoli’s replacement.
      Ex-Sevilla boss Jose Luis Mendilibar is taking over at OlympiacosCredit: Rex
      Mendilibar eliminated Man Utd and beat Jose Mourinho in the Europa League FinalCredit: Getty
      Mendilibar will sign a €1.5m contract until the end of the season with the option to extend for another yearCredit: Getty
      And the Basque tactician led the Spanish giants to a record seventh Europa League title, earning qualification to this season’s Champions League.
      This poses as a huge appointment for Olympiacos amid a turbulent campaign that has seen the Piraeus outfit plummet to fourth place.
      SunSport understand Mendilibar will sign a contract until the end of the season with the option to extend for another year.
      Sources also report the ex-Athletic Bilbao manager’s deal is worth €1.5million (£1.3m).
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      The Spaniard is arriving in Greece today and will attend his new team’s Superleague clash against OFI in Piraeus this evening.
      Mendilibar is then set for baptism by fire as he will make his debut on Thursday’s crunch Europa Conference League play-off clash at home against Ferencvaros.
      The experienced coach stunned Europe last season as he eliminated Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-finals and then offloaded Juventus in the semi-finals.
      He then beat Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the final on penalties after a 1-1 draw despite Sevilla’s many struggles.
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      Sevilla then almost upset Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Super Cup at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece, which is the home of his new team.
      Youssef En-Nesyri opened the scoring before Cole Palmer’s equaliser took the game to a penalty shootout where City prevailed after Nemanja Gudelj missed his spot-kick.
      Youssef En-Nesyri scores incredible overhead kick in Sevilla training
      Mendilibar was sacked in October as Sevilla’s struggles continued with a poor run of five losses and just two wins in 13 matches across all competitions.
      Olympiacos have a long history of appointing managers with immense European success.
      That includes the likes of ex-Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, Monaco hero Leonardo Jardim and current Fulham boss Marco Silva. More

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      Premier League managers with most defeats revealed as David Moyes overtakes Harry Redknapp for unwanted record

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      MANCHESTER UNITED’s 3-0 defeat of West Ham last Sunday saw David Moyes making history – but not the kind of history he imagined when he embarked on a career in management. The final whistle spelled doom for David Moyes as it signalled his 239th career loss in the Premier League – making him statistically the biggest loser of any top flight manager ever. 
      David Moyes has not been having a good spell at West Ham latelyCredit: Getty
      The start of the New Year set-off a disastrous downturn for Moyes’ Boys, who up until January were having their best season to date points wise. 
      They’ve now been unable to take home a win from their seven matches this side of New Year’s Eve, and fans are beginning to question their manager, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
      But the unwanted record, while unflattering, is also a testament to the number of years Moyes has been in the game.
      He’s managed 682 Premier League matches, and is operating on a reasonably high win ratio of 38.9 per cent.
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      This is in a similar field to Harry Redknapp, who has a 36.8 per cent win rate, and is the man who Moyes overtakes as the biggest loser.
      And despite being top of the table, both Moyes and Redknapp are doing better than current Everton manager Sean Dyche who is also among the biggest losers.
      The Toffees boss, who racked up most of his game as Burnley manager, has a terrible 28.4 per cent strike rate but is saved from having more losses only by the fact he’s managed 299 games.
      Crystal Palace boss, 76 year-old Roy Hodgson, is up there in sixth place with 177 losses to his name during his Prem tenure, which has included stints at Fulham, West Brom and Liverpool.
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      Sam Allaryce, who most recently managed Leeds United, but also has Newcastle, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Everton to his name, is 100 losses behind Redknapp in third place.
      And close behind are Steve Bruce and Mark Hughes, with 211 and 181 games lost respectively.
      But hardly anyone has managed as many matches as Moyes, and if these stats tell us anything other than The Hammer’s boss’ record breaking losses, it’s that the man is as experienced as they come. 
      Apart from legends Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, the 60-year-old has managed more Prem games than anyone else.
      Watch heartwarming moment David Moyes hands his dad, 87, his winner’s medal after landing first major trophy as manager
      Fergie, who operated at an unbelievably high 65 per cent win ratio, doesn’t even make the table despite managing 810 Prem games during his career.
      And Arsenal icon Wenger is not far behind on a 57.5 per cent hit rate, which saw him guide the Gunners to three League titles and seven FA cups.
      The likes of Alan Pardew and Alan Curbishley might be further down the ranking than Moyes, but they have both managed less than half of the matches he has. More

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      Fans stunned after former Premier League star scores worldie on Betis debut as they say ‘shame what Moyes did to him’

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      PABLO FORNALS split both the net and social media – with an outrageous solo goal on his Real Betis debut.Some West Ham fans were shocked by his brilliance – while others blamed their boss David Moyes for not getting the best out of the midfielder.
      Pablo Fornals conjured a wonder goal first time out for Betis in LaLiga

      Fornals left Cadiz keeper Jeremias Ledesmas with little chance
      The six-cap Spaniard weaved in from the right to curve a laser left-footer inside the far corner.
      It rounded off a 2-0 win at struggling Cadiz that put Betis sixth – into one of the two Europa League places.
      The ex-Villarreal star, 27, had ended his five years at West Ham on transfer deadline in a £7million return to his home country.
      Fornals exited the London Stadium after 23 goal and 19 assists in 203 games – but also with question marks over his ability in the Premier League.
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      However, after seeing his confident footwork and curling goal, one fan posted: “Shame what Moyes did to him.”
      Another said: “Good luck to him. Was fantastic for us. It’s our loss tbf.”
      A third wrote: “Who would have thought he could play CM?!”
      And a fourth moaned: “The amount of players that have left West Ham and then scored on their debut at their new club is wild.”
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      Fornals returned to Spain after five years at West HamCredit: Getty
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      But other viewers reckon Fornals’ stylish technique and attacking style is more suited to LaLiga than the English top flight.
      One observer claimed: “Lovely goal, would never get the space to do that in the Prem though, but obviously people will have a meltdown about this.”
      Every Premier League stadium ranked by the number of pubs nearby with one boasting over 130 local boozers
      Another suggested: “Lovely fella but couldn’t hit a cow’s a*** with a banjo for us.”
      And a fellow doubter was seemingly shaking with disbelief as he shared a clip of the goal and added: Yes, Pablo Fornals actually just did that.”
      The ex-Malaga ace struck Betis’ clincher on 46 minutes following a surging run from Brazilian striker Willian Jose, who had fired a brilliant opener. More