Notable matches in the fifth round of the 2016/17 Europa League
Hapoel Beer Sheva 3-2 Inter Milan
Maranhao 58’ Mauro Icardi 12’
Anthony Nwakaeme 70’(pen) Marcelo Brozovic 25’
Ben Sahar 90’
Inter Milan blew a two-goal lead to lose away to Hapoel Beer Sheva. It was a defeat that eliminated the Italians from the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League.
It was looking like a comfortable evening for Inter Milan at the end of the first half. Inter Milan was playing well and rewarded with a comfortable two goal lead.
The second half was a different story for both teams. After Maranhao scored to cut Inter Milan’s lead in half, Hapoel made an offensive push for a point in this match. The offensive push paid off when Inter Milan’s goalkeeper Sami Handanovic was red carded off for having his legs high enough to hit the face of Hapoel’s striker Moar Buzaglo. The resulting penalty gave Hapoel Beer Sheva an equalizing goal.
Hapoel made the numerical advantage count by getting with a late goal from their final attacking move of the night.
The victory put Hapoel Beer Sheva have their destiny in their own hands. They would be facing Southampton in their final group match. Anything but a defeat should do it.
Fiorentina 2-3 PAOK Thessaloniki FC
Federico Bernardeschi 33’ Yevhen Shakhov 5’
Khouma Babacar 50’ Djalma 26’
Garry Mendes Rodrigues 90’
Fiorentina made a comeback after going two goals down, but that did not stop them from suffering their first defeat in the 2016/17 Europa League.
A late goal saw PAOK Thessaloniki FC leave Fiorentina with all three points from the fixture.
Schalke 04 2-0 OGC Nice
Yevheniy Konoplyanka 14’
Dennis Aogo 80’(pen)
Schalke 04 is on a roll, while OGC Nice can’t recreate their domestic form in Europe.
Schalke 04 remains undefeated in the 2016/17 Europa League, while OGC Nice has managed to lose 4 of their 5 matches in the competition.
OGC Nice is out!
Roma 4-1 Viktoria Plzen
Edin Dzeko 11’ 61’ 8’ Martin Zemen 18’
Diego Perotti 82’
Edin Dzeko scored a hat-trick to help Roma send off Viktoria Plzen from the competition.
Manchester United 4-0 Feyenoord
Wayne Rooney 35’
Juan Mata 70’
Bradley Jones (o.g) 75’
Jesse Lingard 90’
Manchester United couldn’t afford a defeat in this match, and they made sure of that by plugging in three second-half goals to add to a Wayne Rooney’s first half winning goal.
It was the 39th goal in European competition for Wayne Rooney, making him the top scorer for Manchester United in Europe.
Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 Konyaspor
Abdulkerim Bardakci (o.g) 10’
Dentinho 36’
Eduardo 66’
Bernard 74’
Apart from having a 100% wins in the competition, goal difference would not be a problem for Shakhtar Donetsk in Group H. They have scored 17 goals in 5 matches and only conceded 3.
If we are to double the points of their closest rival, Shakhtar Donetsk would still be two points clear on top of the group. If they can keep this form in the knockout stages, there is very little doubt about the team getting medals in the 2016/17 Europa League.
