EDITOR NOTE: This article is translated from the original written in French by Omar Chraibi for Pan-Africa Football.
Youssef En-Nesyri: a decisive goal in Fenerbahçe’s qualification
Youssef En-Nesyri continues his excellent season with Fenerbahçe by scoring a new goal in the return match against Anderlecht (2-2), in the round of 32 of the Europa League.
After scoring a first goal in the first leg (3-0), the Moroccan striker opened the scoring in the 4th minute of the return match, largely contributing to his team's qualification for the round of 16 with an aggregate score of 5-2.
The match, played at Lotto Park, saw En-Nesyri play the entire match before being substituted in the 67th minute. The Moroccan striker continues to shine, bringing his total to 6 goals in 10 appearances this season in the Europa League.
Exceptional Boufal despite the elimination of Saint-Gilloise in Amsterdam
Sofiane Boufal was simply brilliant this Thursday at the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam, despite the elimination of Union Saint-Gilloise against Ajax.
Manhandled for 120 minutes, Ajax Amsterdam finally qualified for the Round of 16 of the Europa League thanks to an extra time penalty scored by Kenneth Taylor in the 93rd minute, allowing the Amsterdammers to win 3-2 on aggregate after leading 2-0 in the first leg at the King Baudoin stadium. This decisive shot sent Ajax to face Lyon or Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals, after an epic fight against a heroic Belgian team.
Union, led by a brilliant Boufal, continued to push and made Ajax falter who were dominated for most of the time. The match then went into extra time, offering the Belgian club a final chance to turn the situation around. However, Ajax found the strength to react and on a penalty caused by Bertrand Traoré, Kenneth Taylor wrong-footed Anthony Moris at the start of extra time (93rd).
Boufal, with his fiery performance, was the Man of the Match despite the defeat. His dribbling, his vision of the game and his offensive impact lit up the match.
Aguerd starts for Real Sociedad to qualify for the 1/8 of the Europa League
Real Sociedad validated their ticket to the round of 16 of the Europa League after a resounding 5-2 victory against Midtjylland. The aggregate score (7-3) allowed the Spaniards to qualify comfortably after their 2-1 first leg victory.
The match saw the participation of Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd who played the entire match, contributing to the defensive solidity of his team. But it was in attack that Real Sociedad showed its power, with goals from Brais Méndez (5th), Luca Sucic (18th and 45+1), Mikel Oyarzabal (73rd from the penalty spot) and Aritz Elustondo (90th). Striker Adam Buksa reduced the gap for the Danes with a penalty (24th), before Dario Osorio added another goal for Midtjylland.
Despite resistance from the Danes, Real Sociedad was able to demonstrate mastery and realism, once again sending a strong message to the other clubs competing in the competition. The draw for the Round of 16 is looming for the Basques, who now dream of continuing their European adventure.
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