Man United set to hammer final nail in Roma’s coffin
Manchester United have one foot in the final as they take on AS Roma in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final tie with a 6-2 lead.
Manchester United produced a resounding second-half performance and gave AS Roma a hiding to cruise to a 6-2 victory in the first leg. It’s safe to say that they have more or less turned the second leg into a formality after putting six goals past their opponents.
Manchester United have faced AS Roma seven times till date. The Red Devils have won five times while AS Roma have won just once. One match has ended as a draw.
Manchester United are well-rested after their derby match against Liverpool was canceled as the Old Trafford faithful invaded the pitch in protest against the Glazer family’s ownership. Meanwhile, AS Roma slipped again and lost 2-0 to Sampdoria. This should be a no-contest but AS Roma will not go down without a fight.
Credit: sportskeeda.com
Arsenal welcome Villarreal in crunch game
With their dreams of European silverware still very much alive, Arsenal welcome Unai Emery‘s Villarreal to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday.
The Yellow Submarine travel to North London boasting a 2-1 lead from the first leg with Nicolas Pepe‘s penalty giving the Gunners some hope. With a top-four charge in the Premier League totally out of the question, and even a late push for a top-seven finish looking increasingly unlikely, Arsenal’s hopes for a return to the continental stage rest solely on Europa League success, but they at least go into the second leg with the wind in their sails following a 2-0 victory at Newcastle United.
The win at St James’ Park saw Arsenal quickly snap a three-game winless run in all competitions, but their Emirates fortunes are a serious concern, as the Gunners have failed to win in five at the Emirates since their dominant North London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur on March 14.
Emery’s Villareal are surely assured of a top-seven standing in Spain’s top flight, and given his personal affiliations with Arsenal, the Yellow Submarine’s vocal leader will do everything in his power to make his return to the Emirates a memorable one.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Roma shares increase by 21 percent after Mourinho announcement
AS Roma shares have soared by more than 21 percent on the Milan Stock Exchange after the announcement of the appointment of Jose Mourinho as coach from the 2021/22 season.
The shares of the Serie A giants, owned by American businessman Dan Friedkin, began to rise after 15.00 CEST and are now at a price of 0.3195.
Mourinho, who was only recently sacked by Tottenham, has signed on a three-year deal which will see him at the helm until the summer of 2024.
Roma announced on Monday that Paulo Fonseca would not continue in the dugout beyond the end of the current season.
Meanwhile, dailymail.co.uk reports that Jose Mourinho took a significant pay cut, earning £6.5m per season in the Italian capital. That is a drop of £3.5m on the £10m-a-year basic salary he earned in north London.
Reports in Italy also claim Mourinho’s total financial package will cost Roma around £8.6m.
But it is also reported that Spurs will continue to pay some of his salary. As part of the contract he signed with Spurs until 2023, they will pay Mourinho £7.7m to ensure he receives the same salary he had in London.
Credit: marca.com
Hertha Berlin dismiss Lehmann for racist jibe
Former Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has been dismissed from the supervisory board of Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin after making a jibe about a TV pundit’s race via WhatsApp, it was confirmed Wednesday.
Lehmann had sat on the Hertha Berlin supervisory board as an adviser to the club’s major shareholder Lars Windhorst, boss of Tennor Holding.
“We have terminated the consultancy contract with Jens Lehmann. This also ends his activity on the supervisory board of Hertha Berlin,” a Tennor Holding spokesman told AFP subsidiary SID.
Dennis Aogo is a former Germany defender, whose father is Nigerian. The 34-year-old Aogo appeared as a pundit during the Champions League semifinals for Sky on Tuesday and in the WhatsApp message sent to Aogo, Lehmann asked “Is Dennis actually your token black guy?”
Aogo took a screen shot of the message and posted to his 81 000 followers on Instagram with the caption “WOW, are you serious? @jenslehmannofficial The message was probably not meant for me!!!”
Before news of his dismissal at Hertha, Lehmann told German daily Bild that he phoned Aogo to apologise and “asked his forgiveness if my statement came across as disrespectful.
Credit: supersport.com
The post Today’s Europa League semi-final matches appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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