By Alan Duffy

It may well be the preserve of Thursday nights and Channel Five, but the Europa League, now ready for the knock-out stages is still peppered with some of Europe’s big guns. Probably the biggest in the competition, Manchester United, will face another all-time European great, Ajax, in the last 32, a tie which has more than a hint of glamour. The Dutch side are now only a shadow of their former all-conquering selves however, and United should stroll home in this one. Although we did say that about Basel, didn’t we?

Manchester City face another side with bags of European experience, the current holders of the competition, Porto, who will push the Citizens all the way.  Stoke City are no doubt the happiest of the three English clubs to still be in the competition, and their impressive run in the tournament has been rewarded with a game against Valencia, another side with plenty of Euro experience.

Here’s the draw for the last 32 ... (Lazio v Atletico Madrid looks like it could be a cracker)

FC Porto v Man City

Ajax v Man Utd

Lokomotiv Moscow v Athletic Bilbao

SV Salzburg v Metalist Kharkiv

Stoke City v Valencia

Rubin Kazan v Olympiakos

AZ Alkmaar v Anderlecht

Lazio v Atletico Madrid

Steaua Bucharest v FC Twente

Plzen v FC Schalke

Wisla Krakow v Standard Liege

SC Braga v Besiktas

Udinese v PAOK

Trabzonspor v PSV

Hannover v Club Brugge

Legia Warsaw v Sporting

The draw for the last 16 was also made on Friday, which would see Man City face either Legia Warsaw or Sporting Lisbon,  Stoke meet either Trabzonspor or PSV Eindhoven and Man United face Lokomotiv Moscow or Athletic Bilbao. All of which are potentially winnable ties for the Premier League sides.

Here’s the draw…

SV Salzburg/Metalist v Rubin K/Olympiakos

Legia W/Sporting v Porto/Man City

Steaua/Twente v Plzen/Schalke

Wisla K/Standard L v Hannover/Club Brugge

Stoke/Valencia v Trabzonspor/PSV

Az Alkmaar/Andrelecht v Udinese/PAOK

Lazio/Atletico M v SC Braga/Besiktas

Ajax/Man Utd v Lokomotiv M/Athletic B

                          

So close…

Image: KCKRS

                          

In which, during Austria Vienna’s 2-0 win over Malmo last night, Zlatko Junuzovic sends Nacer Barazite through on goal with a delightful little volleyed, backheeled through ball leaving the former Arsenal urchin to do the decent thing and pop it between the Malmo keeper’s legs…

Beautiful.

Video: Studio LDA

                          

By Chris Wright

Chasing a huge goal difference swing and needing POAK to beat Rubin Kazan elsewhere, the odds were against Tottenham making it through to the knockout phases last night, but they held up their end of the bargain by racking up an impressive drubbing of Shamrock Rovers at the Tallaght – Steven Pienaar, Andros Townsend (a real beauty, well worth watching the highlights for), Jermain Defoe and Harry Kane all bagging a goal apiece.

Sadly, POAK and Rubin’s mutually beneficial 1-1 draw rendered all Spurs’ efforts pointless, as both the Greeks and the Russians went through at the close of play.

C’est la vie, should make winning the title all that more easier, eh ‘Arry?

Photos…

Highlights…

Photos: PA

                          

By Chris Wright

Unbeaten going into the game, ten-man Stoke stumbled to defeat in Turkey in their final Group E game, though it mattered little with them having already booked their place in the knockout phase courtesy of a draw against Dinamo Kiev last time out. The 3-1 scoreline saw Besiktas top the final group standings, with Stoke dropping down into second place right at the gong.

Ricardo Fuller put the Potters one up with a heavily deflected strike, only for Manuel Fernandes to equalise from the spot after Matthew Upson saw red for clattering through Hugo Almeida, before goals from Mustafa Pektemek and Edu completed the comeback for the Turkish side.

Interestingly, Tony Pulis has refused to report Besiktas to UEFA despite several of his players (notably chief corner-taker Jermaine Pennant) getting pelted with missiles from the crowd throughout the game, telling the press that ‘they won’t complain because they’re Stoke and that’s not what Stoke do’.

Oh! I almost forgot. Wilson Palacios also took the worst corner in the history of recorded time.

Photos…

Highlights…

Photos: PA

                          

FC Twente may well have lost 2-1 in Krakow last night (to send Fulham packing), surrendering their unbeaten group stage run in the process, but they definitely scored the goal of the night through Luuk de Jong’s impeccable 39th minute bicycle kick…

Pretty…pretty good.

Video: Stadiony Swiata

                          

By Chris Wright

In which, coming back from an advert break at half-time during Fulham’s game against Odense, Jim and Stan get ‘caught’ signing a rousing, tongue-in-cheek rendition of ‘Thursday Nights, Channel Five!’ – the new wave football chant used to mock big clubs that suffer untimely Champions League exits and which, depending on who you choose to believe, may be the song that got Ashley Cole a slapping after he sung it in the tunnel when Chelsea beat Man City on Monday…

If they took ‘Jim & Stan: An Evening of Song’ on the road, I for one would definitely buy a ticket!

Video: 101GG

                          

By Chris Wright

Fulham were dumped out of the Europa League with the very last touch of the game when Odense slung in a deep cross and substitute Baye Djiby Fall nodded in an equaliser at the far post with roughly four seconds left to play (the referee blew for full-time during the goal celebration), thus robbing the Cottagers of the points they needed to edge out Wisla Krakow, who beat table-toppers FC Twente on the night to finish second in Group K -just one point ahead of Martin Jol’s side.

Goals from Clint Dempsey and a first senior strike from the lively Kerim Frei had Fulham 2-0 up at the interval, but Odense pulled one back on the hour mark through Hans Henrik Andreasen’s sneaky free-kick, before late sub Orlando Sa failed to keep hold of it in the Dane’s half with the clock ticking over, Espen Ruud pinched it and humped a salvo into the box for Fall to bugger everything up for the West Londoners in the 93rd-minute.

More than a little worrying was Bobby Zamora’s body language over the course of the evening. With rumours of a rift with Jol abound, Zamora looked well and truly narked, especially after being taken off (despite having played 89 minutes). Is it just me or is the January window beginning to loom ominously?

Any road up, if there is a shred of positivity to take from the evening for Fulham, at the very least they preserved their unbeaten European home streak, which now stands at a very healthy 23 games. Very comforting, I’m sure!

Photos…

Highlights…

Photos: PA

                          

By Chris Wright

Here you go, Pies’ pick of the ten best still exposures from the past two day’s worth of Europa League action…

FC Vaslui supporters are silhouetted by burning flares during their game against Lazio in Piatra Neamt, Romania

FC Vaslui’s Mike Temwanjera and Lazio’s Modibo Diakite hit an isolated hotspot of weak gravity

Fulham’s Bryan Ruiz waves to the Twente fans after receiving a hero’s welcome on his return to the Dutch club

AEK Athens vs Anderlecht quickly descends into an all-out gurn-fest as a corner is swung into the Greek side’s penalty area

Schalke 04′s Kyriakos Papadopoulos throws up the big twos after scoring against Steaua Bucharest in Gelsenkirchen

Ibrahim Toroman is not exactly enamoured with the view as Besiktas celebrate scoring against Maccabi Tel Aviv

Billy Conolly and Rod Stewart turn up at Parkhead to watch Celtic take on Atletico Madrid, and are seen here presumably discussing exactly why Beram Kayal felt to need to duck and let Arda Turan’s shot fly in over his head

Hapoel Tel-Aviv’s Abbas Mahmmoud watches on while Rapid Bucharest’s Iulian Apostol endulges in a spot of light turf rotivation

Hannover 96 fans do their thing ahead of the German side’s game against Standard Liege in Belgium

A lone Tottenham fan taunts the travelling PAOK Salonika supporters by holding a tenner aloft to mock Greece’s debt crisis. Satire at it’s finest

(Photos: PA)

                          

By Alan Duffy

A late goal from FC Twente sub Marc Janko secured a 1-0 away win for the Dutch side against FUlham last night, a result that leaves the Londoners needing a victory from their final group game if they are to make it to the last 32.

Twente have been in impressive form in the Eredivisie this season, and the controlled the game against the Whites throughout. However, Martin Jol will rue misses from Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora in a game with few real chances.

Ultimately, it was sub Janko who would break the deadlock on on 89 minutes, when he converted a Roberto Rosales cross, a goal which secured first place in Group K for the Dutch side.

To make matters worse for Fulham, Andrew Johnson saw red after picking up a second yellow for kicking the ball away in stoppage time. The former Crystal Palace man will now miss the vital clash with Danish side Odense at Craven Cottage on December 14th. However, if FC Twente beat Wislaw Kracow in their last game, Fulham will still go through as the Poles are currently on six points, one behind the Cottagers.

Photos…

Highlights…

Photos: PA