PARIS: Manchester United’s season isn’t done yet.

On a night of high drama at Old Trafford, the troubled Premier League club put their domestic problems to one side by sealing a an astonishing extra-time comeback to beat Olym­pique Lyon­nais 5-4 and advance to the semi-finals of the Europa League 7-6 on aggregate.

United blew a two-goal lead and then had to come back from 4-2 down against 10 men in extra time to produce one of their most memorable victories in their famous stadium.

Harry Maguire’s dramatic winner in added time of extra time sparked scenes of jubilation and kept alive hopes that United could yet salvage a desperate campaign that has left the 20-time English champions languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League.

“We still have time to make something special of this season, so we have to think like that and be positive,” United head coach Ruben Amorim said. “It was a great night. Here everything is possible, you feel the environment. At 4-3, we felt we could change the game. If you see the goals from Kobbie and Harry Maguire, the sound of the stadium was the best sound I ever [heard]. You want to keep that. People want to keep a lot of things, shirts, I just want to keep that sound, it’s the best sound in the world.”

United will play Athletic Bilbao after the Spanish club, in their first European semi-final since losing the 2021 Europa League final on penalties to Villarreal, beat Rangers 2-0 following a goalless draw in the first leg in Glasgow.

Tottenham Hotspur also overcame their domestic problems by sealing a place in the last four with a 1-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany and a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Tottenham will face competition sensations Bodø/Glimt, who became the first Norwegian team to reach the semi-finals of a European competition by beating Lazio 3-2 on penalties. Lazio sent the game to a shootout after 3-1 win in extra time meant the tie ended 3-3 on aggregate.

United have been famed for their comebacks over the years — none more famous than victory against Bayern Munich to win the Champions League final in 1999 when late goals by Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sealed a 2-1 win.

Such moments feel a long way away for a team that is languishing 14th in England’s top flight and is guaranteed to end the campaign with a club-record-low po­i­nts total in the Premier League era.

The Europa League is Amo­rim’s last chance of success this season, while victory would also secure a place in the

lucrative Champions League next campaign.

United appeared to be cruising towards the last four when, after a 2-2 first-leg draw last week in France, Manuel Ugarte turned in an Alejandro Garnacho cutback on 10 minutes and then Diogo Dalot fired home in first-half injury time.

Bruno Fernandes had hit the bar with a brilliant volley in between, and United had chances to kill the tie before Corentin Tolisso’s headed goal on 71 minutes gave Lyon hope.

Nicolas Tagliafico then levelled the scores on the night, and in the tie, with 12 minutes of normal time remaining, his shot crossing the line before goalkeeper Andre Onana got a hand to it.

Lyon started extra-time with 10 men after Tolisso was sent off in the 89th, but they went 3-2 up when Rayan Cherki fired in following a fine run by Malick Fofana in the 105th minute.

And the French side looked to be going through when Alexandre Lacazette netted a penalty to make it 4-2 on the night, and 6-4 on aggregate, five minutes into the second half of extra time following a foul on Fofana by Luke Shaw.

However, almost from the restart the hosts were awarded a penalty of their own following a VAR check for a foul on Casem­iro, and Fernandes converted to give them renewed hope.

A fine finish by substitute Kobbie Mainoo levelled the tie again in the 120th minute, seemingly setting up a penalty shoot-out, but Maguire had the last word as he headed in Casemiro’s cross to spark delirium on the pitch and in the Old Trafford stands.

“To go down 4-2 in extra-time to 10 men is not good enough, we opened ourselves too much. But we dug in and showed great spirit, that’s what this stadium does,” Maguire told TNT Sports.

RANGERS, FRANKFURT OUT

Oihan Sancet and Nico Willi­ams were on target for United’s semi-finals opponent Bilbao.

Athletic went ahead on the night, and in the tie, in first-half stoppage time when Oihan Sancet converted a penalty after Maroan Sannadi was fouled in the box by John Souttar.

Nicolas Raskin struck the post for Rangers early in the second half before Athletic secured the victory, and their qualification, when Nico Williams headed home a cross from Oscar De Marcos.

The Basque club are determined to go all the way to the final which will be played in their San Mames stadium on May 21.

Dominic Solanke’s first-half penalty secured victory for Totte­nham against Frankfurt, the competition’s champions in 2022.

Spurs have also endured a miserable domestic campaign and are one place below United in the league. But the deep run in the Europa League has provided rare moments of optimism and it remains in with a chance of winning a first trophy since 2008.

“The players believe in what we’re doing and I’m so proud of them because it was a big game for us — no doubt about it — for our season, for everything, and what we’re trying to achieve,” Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou said.

Spurs needed the assistance of VAR when it was awarded a penalty for a foul by Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos on James Maddison.

Solanke fired down the middle for the decisive goal in the 43rd minute.

BODØ/GLIMT STUN LAZIO

Bodø/Glimt travelled to Rome with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, but goals from Taty Castellanos and an effort from Tijani Noslin in stoppage time gave Lazio 2-0 win in regular time and levelled the tie.

Boulaye Dia then headed Lazio into the lead in the 100th minute, only for Andreas Helm­ersen to pull it back to 3-1 on the night and even up the tie again.

He was then sent off, but Bodø/Glimt won the shoot-out when goalkeeper Nikitka Haikin denied Castellanos.

“It’s historic, not only for Bodø/Glimt but for all of Norwegian football,” Haikin said. “Even after I saved Castellanos’ shot, I didn’t realise we’d won — but then I saw the guys running and I started running too.”

CHELSEA ADVANCE

Big teams remain in the third-tier UEFA Conference League after Chelsea, Fiorentina and Real Betis all advanced to the semi-finals.

Chelsea’s 3-0 first leg win against Legia Warsaw meant it would have taken a remarkable turnaround at Stamford Bridge to prevent the two-time Champ­ions League winner from progressing.

And despite a 2-1 loss, Chelsea won 4-2 on aggregate and will next face Sweden’s Djurgardens, who thumped 10-man Rapid Vie­n­na 4-1 to seal a 4-2 aggregate win.

Twice runners-up Fiorentina needed Moise Kean’s second-half goal to draw 2-2 at home against Slovenians Celje and a 4-3 aggregate win.

In their semi they face Betis who advanced 3-1 on aggregate against Jagiellonia Bialystok of Poland after a 1-1 draw.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2025