MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United secured its first continental victory in more than a year by beating PAOK 2-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.
Two second-half goals from Amad Diallo sealed victory at Old Trafford and raised United’s hopes of advancing in the competition, while Tottenham’s perfect start was cut short with a 3-2 defeat on their visit to the Galatasaray.
United’s last win in Europe was against Copenhagen in the Champions League on October 24 last year.
“We addressed that in the locker room and it was time to change it, so we did,” United interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy said.
Diallo’s header beat goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski in the 50th minute. The Ivorian then contributed a shot from outside the area, which deflected off another player and nestled in the bottom corner at 77.
It was United’s second victory in three games under the guidance of Van Nistelrooy, who has one game remaining—against Leicester on Sunday—before handing the baton to Ruben Amorim.
It is unclear whether there will be a place for the Dutchman after his temporary management, but he is doing what he can to ensure United are in the best possible position for when Amorim takes over.
Erik ten Hag was sacked last week after a woeful start to the campaign that left the team in 14th place in the Premier League and without a win in the continent’s secondary competition, the Europa League.
Amorim was quickly hired in his place, but it has been Van Nistelrooy who has filled the void while the Portuguese manages his last few games at Sporting Lisbon.
They have achieved victories in the English League Cup and the Europa League, before and after a draw with Chelsea in the Premier.
Osimhen double
Earlier, Victor Osimhen scored twice in an eight-minute span as Galatasaray beat Tottenham 3-2 in Türkiye.
Osimhen scored his first goal in Europe for the Turkish club after his transfer from Napoli. He did it in the 31st minute with a low and precise shot next to the right post, giving the host a 2-1 lead. Eight minutes later, the Nigerian attacker scored his second goal of the night when he headed in Dries Mertens’ pass from the right.
It was Tottenham’s first defeat in the competition after three wins. Galatasaray remains undefeated with three wins and one draw.
All matches of the day were preceded by a minute of silence to honor the victims of the devastating floods in Spain.
In Istanbul, Yunus Akgün put Galatasaray ahead in the sixth minute after Spurs failed to adequately clear a Mertens free kick. The midfielder volleyed from outside the area, beating goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Tottenham equalized in the 19th minute through Will Lankshear, in his second game with the London team. He scored from close range after a cross from Brennan Johnson.
However, Lankshear was sent off for a second yellow card in the 60th.
Substitute Dominic Solanke brought Tottenham closer again with a backheel in the 69th.
The perfect Lazio
Lazio are the only team to maintain a perfect record with four wins after Pedro Rodriguez scored in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory over Porto.
Ajax had five different scorers in a 5-0 thrashing of Maccabi Tel-Aviv while three substitutes scored for Alkmaar in their 3-1 victory over Fenerbahce, the first setback in the competition for Jose Mourinho’s team.
Latvian RFS salvaged a 1-1 draw with Anderlecht with a goal in injury time. The Belgian team lost points for the first time.
Previously, Eintracht Frankfurt beat Slavia Prague 1-0 thanks to Omar Marmoush’s goal in the second half, while Roma barely managed to draw 1-1 against Union Saint-Gilloise, another disappointing result after the 3-2 defeat at the weekend against Hellas Verona in Serie A.
Rangers achieved a 1-1 draw on their visit to Olympiacos, the Greek club that won the Conference League last season.
Athletic Bilbao beat Ludogorets 2-1 to remain undefeated, with three wins and one draw. Qarabag surprised by winning 3-1 over Bodø/Glimt to get their first points.
Nice drew 2-2 with Twente. Both teams finished with 10 men.
Conference League
Chelsea demolished Armenian club Noah 8-0 to set a record for the biggest win in the Conference League.
Chelsea took a 6-0 lead in the first half with two goals from João Félix, and goals from Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Axel Disasi and Mykhailo Mudryk. Christopher Nkunku added two more in the complement, the second from the penalty spot.
Nordsjaelland held the previous record, beating Ludogorets 7-1 last season.
Chelsea is one of six teams with three wins after three games.
Vitória beat Mladá Boleslav 2-1, Jagellonia defeated Molde 3-0 and Heidenheim won 2-0 at Hearts.
Hours earlier, Legia Warsaw defeated Dinamo Minsk 4-0 and SK Rapid easily beat Petrocub 3-0.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
