Manchester United face a tough Europa League knockout round play-off after failing to build on teenager Alejandro Garnacho’s outstanding opener against Real Sociedad.
Both sides were already assured of progress from Group E ahead of the San Sebastian showdown, but September’s shock Old Trafford defeat to the La Liga side meant United travelled to Spain in second spot.
Garnacho’s superb goal got the Red Devils off to a dream start as they sought to usurp the hosts, but they struggled in the second half as Sociedad held tight for a 1-0 loss that means they top the group on goal difference.
Erik ten Hag’s runners-up will now have to play an extra round in mid-February against a side dropping out of the Champions League, with Barcelona, Juventus and his former club Ajax among the potential opponents.
La Real progress straight to the last-16 on a night that was only 17 minutes old when Garnacho overtook George Best as United’s youngest non-English goalscorer in European competition with a lovely finish.
Cristiano Ronaldo provided a fine assist for the 18-year-old’s first senior goal and lifted narrowly over towards the end of a first half that ended with David De Gea producing an excellent double save.
But Ten Hag’s side were unable to build on that solid start, with defender Harry Maguire brought on as makeshift striker in a desperate – and ultimately fruitless – attempt to snatch the second goal they needed.
The road to May’s Europa League final in Budapest got harder with this result and United will find out their play-off opponents on Monday.
Garnacho, Donny van de Beek and Victor Lindelof came into the side at the Reale Arena, where the injury-hit hosts started brightly and Carlos Fernandez struck into the side-netting unaware he had strayed offside.
United settled after that scare and Ronaldo was soon getting under the skin of the locals, who whistled him as his penalty claim against Robin Le Normand was ignored by the officials.
The 37-year-old looked frustrated but his mood improved in the 17th minute.
Bruno Fernandes headed on a long kick forwards by De Gea to Ronaldo, who sent a superbly-weighted pass through for Garnacho to drive down the left and fire home the opener.
The 18-year-old’s first goal for United was ratified by the VAR after checking Fernandes had not strayed offside.
As United searched for the second goal, Ten Hag turned to Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay – the midfielder surprisingly replacing centre-back Victor Lindelof – but it did not have the desired effect.
Imanol Alguacil’s hosts were smartly slowing the game down and desperate United even brought centre-back Maguire on as an attacker.
Still the visitors toiled and Casemiro saw a shot saved in a 90th-minute melee that was eventually halted by a delayed offside flag.
Five minutes of stoppage time came and went as United won in Spain but lost the battle for top spot.
Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
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The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
Roll of honour: Who won what in 2018/19?
West Asia Premiership: Winners – Bahrain; Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership: Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Winners – Dubai Hurricanes; Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference: Winners – Dubai Tigers; Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 366Nm
Price: Dh200,000
