Europa League: Manchester United defeats Bilbao and faces Tottenham in the English final

(sda) As expected, the Europa League final will be an English one. Both Manchester United and Tottenham are taking advantage of their strong starting positions in the second legs of the semifinals.

Manchester United beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 at Old Trafford, following their 3-0 win a week earlier. Despite the decisive result, the English fans had to tremble somewhat. Mikel Jauregizar gave the visitors the lead in the 31st minute with a superb long-range shot. In the 43rd minute, Alejandro Garnacho had a great chance to equalize when he went one-on-one with Bilbao goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, but his shot was off target.

After the break, Man Utd were anything but confident and made a lot of mistakes – like defender Harry Maguire's misplaced pass before the 0-1 goal. But the Basques were unable to capitalize. Mason Mount's equalizer (72') calmed the hosts' nerves. Mount then scored in the 91st minute, practically from the halfway line, to make it 4-1. Casemiro, who had also scored in the first leg, made it 2-1 with a header from Bruno Fernandes' free kick. Five minutes later, Rasmus Höjlund made it 3-1.

Tottenham also beat the Norwegian surprise team Bodö/Glimt for a second time, following up their 3-1 home win with a 2-0 victory. The visitors' goals came from Dominic Solanke (63') and Pedro Porro (69').

Man Utd and Tottenham have a chance to salvage their season on May 21 in Bilbao. They currently sit 15th and 16th in the Premier League, respectively. The winner of the final will qualify for the Champions League. For Manchester United, it would be their second title in Europe's second-highest competition after 2017, and Tottenham could even triumph for the third time after 1972 and 1984.

This is the third time, after 1972 and 2019, that an English team has played the Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) final. 53 years ago, Tottenham defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers. A team from England has won nine times so far, most recently Chelsea six years ago.

Swiss international Ricardo Rodriguez is in the Conference League final with Real Betis, facing Chelsea.

The second leg between Fiorentina and Real Betis was decided only in extra time, after the Italians had overturned the 2-1 deficit from the first leg in regular time. Substitute Abde Ezzalzouli scored the decisive 2-2 goal in the 97th minute. The Moroccan converted a cross from the eye-catching Brazilian Antony in the penalty area.

The latter had given the visitors the lead in the 30th minute with a well-placed free kick. Ezzalzouli and Antony had also scored in the first leg. Ricardo Rodriguez was on the pitch for Betis throughout the match and put in a good performance.

The extra-time result was down to Robin Gosens. The German full-back scored both of the home team's goals, both with headers from corners (34' and 42'). Nevertheless, Fiorentina failed to reach the Conference League final for the third consecutive time.

For Real Betis, this is their first appearance in a European final. The Spanish side are the underdogs in the final on May 28 in Wroclaw, Poland. Chelsea, after their 4-1 victory at Djurgarden Stockholm, also lived up to their role as favorites in their home game, winning 1-0. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the goal in the 38th minute.