Real Madrid returned to winning ways in LaLiga with a thumping 3-0 victory at Athletic Club after a Kylian Mbappé brace.

More than two years of redevelopment at the storied ground later, feelings of relief and comfort greeted Barça’s return to time-honoured turf There was no sign of Laszlo Kubala or Johan Cruyff, their statues still safely packed in storage, and Lionel Messi had sneaked in alone under cover of darkness a fortnight before but FC Barcelona’s current players were finally back at the Camp Nou as 45,157 fans and a handful of men in high-vis jackets and hard hats watched them return home 909 days later. It was like old times. Athletic Club, ideal guests, had not won here in 30 matches and after two years away they didn’t win this time either, the last of four goals conceded soon followed by fireworks on an afternoon of reunion. Continue reading...

Barcelona will make their long-awaited return to Spotify Camp Nou this weekend after confirming Saturday's LaLiga game against Athletic Club will be played at the stadium.

“Impactors,” Mikel Arteta called them, and Gabriel Martinelli made quite an impact at San Mamés. “Sometimes you just need a second to change the history of a football club,” the Arsenal manager said last spring, and although describing the goal that set up victory here in those terms would be pushing it, the beginning of a Champions League campaign in which they aspire to do just that underlined why he has insisted on the importance of strength in depth. On a night in which they were without seven key men and were yet to find a way through a club that are the ultimate in resistance the solution came from the bench. One second it was not, but Martinelli had only been on the pitch for thirty-six of them when was suddenly away, racing behind the Athletic Club defence and slipping the ball under Unai Simón to put Arsenal into the lead with twenty minutes left. As if to prove the point, Leandro Trossard, another substitute who had come on just five minutes before him, had provided the pass for it and then added the second to secure the win. Last season they had paid for a lack of depth, Arteta had said; this season sees them start victorious thanks to the men waiting in reserve. Continue reading...

‘They will push each other’ for places against TottenhamManager will be careful with Mount and Maguire Ruben Amorim expects ­Manchester United’s training sessions to be intense as his players compete for a place in the Europa League final against Tottenham. United face Spurs at San Mamés in Bilbao on Wednesday week after a 7-1 aggregate victory against ­Athletic Club. In three meetings with ­Tottenham this season, including one in the Carabao Cup, they have been beaten three times. Continue reading...

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen and Paul Watson as Spurs and Manchester United progress to the Europa League final Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today: there’s very little jeopardy for either Spurs or Manchester United, who both deservedly progress to the Europa League final with comfortable two-legged wins over Bodø/Glimt and Athletic Club, respectively. Continue reading...

Manchester United 4-1 Athletic Club (7-1 agg): The manager’s decision to make a triple substitution early in the second half proved telling as Mason Mount scored twice from the bench

United beaten 4-3 in 16th loss of league season‘As a club we need to understand our responsibility’ Ruben Amorim kept his focus firmly on the Europa League despite Manchester United losing their 16th Premier League match of the season in being beaten 4-3 by Brentford. “I think it’s stressful to lose games – when we’re fighting for a title it’s not stressful,” Amorim said in reference to United’s midweek need to defend their 3-0 lead against Athletic Club to reach the Europa League final. He made eight changes here, for the third youngest Premier League starting XI on record. Continue reading...

Rangers’ resistance lasted for over two hours and then a briefer rebellion brought hope that they could do something truly extraordinary but reaching the semi-final of the Europa League was a step too far. Instead, it is Athletic Club of Bilbao, hosts of this year’s final and still searching for a first continental trophy in their 124-year history, who reach the last four. Barry Ferguson’s side were still standing at the end of a first leg that finished 0-0, despite spending most of the night a man down, and they still hadn’t conceded 48 minutes into the second, but then a penalty finally gave the Basques a breakthrough. Liam Kelly had been the hero seven days ago, saving from the spot; here though he could not stop Oihan Sancet’s shot. Rangers still might have been revived when Nicolas Raskin hit the post, but in the end Athletic were too good, racking up 21 shots here, 40 over the two legs, until the 41st was headed in by Nico Williams, the nerves finally gone at San Mamés, the stadium they call the Cathedral, and replaced by songs of praise. Continue reading...

Athletic Club earn 4-3 aggregate win over 10-man RomaLazio and Bodø/Glimt progress | Frankfurt rout Ajax Nico Williams scored twice as Athletic Club advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals with a 3-1 second-leg win over 10-man Roma on Thursday and Lazio progressed after a 1-1 home draw with Viktoria Plzen. Lazio will face Bodø/Glimt in the last eight after the Norwegian club continued their impressive European adventure despite losing 2-1 at Olympiakos, while Eintracht Frankfurt had little trouble finishing off Ajax with a 4-1 win. Roma, 2-1 up from the first leg, were down to 10 men in the 11th minute after Mats Hummels saw red for taking down Maroan Sannadi who had intercepted his sloppy pass and Williams levelled the tie on aggregate in added time before the break. His shot took a deflection off Roma’s Angeliño before finding the net and Athletic went ahead on aggregate with 22 minutes left when Yuri Berchiche headed in from a corner. Continue reading...