In a thrilling Europa League group stage encounter on Thursday, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to secure a 2-1 victory over Rangers. The win lifts United to fourth place in the standings with 15 points, positioning them strongly for a spot in the knockout phase.
The deadlock was broken early in the second half when Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland misjudged a corner from Christian Eriksen, resulting in an own goal. Rangers showed resilience, equalizing two minutes from time through substitute Cyril Dessers. However, Fernandes delivered the decisive blow in added time, ensuring all three points for the English side.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur emerged victorious in a 3-2 thriller against Hoffenheim in Germany. James Maddison opened the scoring in the third minute, and captain Son Heung-min doubled the lead, showcasing Spurs’ dominance in the first half. Hoffenheim fought back with a goal from Anton Stach in the 68th minute. Son restored the two-goal cushion in the 77th minute, but a late strike from David Mokwa kept the hosts in contention. Spurs held on, climbing to sixth place with 14 points.
Elsewhere, Lazio maintained their top spot with a commanding 3-1 home victory over Real Sociedad, becoming the first team to qualify for the round of 16. Mario Gila struck after five minutes, and following the dismissal of Sociedad’s Aihen Munoz, Lazio capitalized with goals from Mattia Zaccagni and Taty Castellanos. Ander Barrenetxea scored a late consolation for Sociedad.
Eintracht Frankfurt edged closer to a top-eight finish with a 2-0 win over Ferencvaros, thanks to second-half goals from Can Uzun and Hugo Ekitike. AZ Alkmaar kept their hopes alive with a 1-0 win over AS Roma, courtesy of a late goal from Troy Parrott. Olympiacos secured a 1-0 victory at Porto through Ayoub El Kaabi’s late strike. In Istanbul, Fenerbahce and Olympique Lyonnais played out an intense goalless draw, leaving Lyon in a strong position to progress, sitting fifth in the group with 14 points.
