Portuguese Football in English
Athletic Club 0-3 Manchester United
Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United are within touching distance of the Europa League final after a stunning victory over Athletic Club in the first leg of the semi-finals in Bilbao on Thursday night.
Bruno Fernandes scored twice after Casemiro had opened the scoring to give United a three-goal lead at half time over the Spaniards, who had Dani Vivian sent off during a disastrous 15-minute spell before the break.
Inter 0-3 Milan (1-4 on aggregate)
Sérgio Conceição’s Milan produced a stunning display to book their place in the Coppa Italia final, overcoming Serie A leaders and city rivals Inter at San Siro.
Milan have endured a dismal campaign in Italy, which reports suggest has already sealed Conceição’s fate, but the chance of a trophy to salvage some pride could yet bring a positive end to the season.
Manchester City 2-1 Aston Villa
Matheus Nunes was the hero with a last-gasp winner as Manchester City beat Aston Villa to strengthen their hopes of securing Champions League qualification in the Premier League.
Bernardo Silva also struck for City, scoring his first goal of 2025, as the outgoing champions moved back into 3rd place in the table, ahead of what is likely to be a close-fought battle for the top five positions.
Nuno Mendes has firmly established himself as one of the best left-backs in Europe this season, putting previous injury issues behind him to star for Paris Saint-Germain in their run to the Champions League semi-finals.
As PSG prepare to take on English giants Arsenal later this month, their manager Luis Enrique has been lavishing praise on former Sporting left-back Mendes, who has been a pivotal figure at both ends of the field for the Ligue 1 champions.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha is widely regarded as one of the finest players in his position across Europe these days, having made himself the heartbeat of Luis Enrique’s side.
Indeed, ahead of recent coverage of PSG’s victory over Aston Villa in the Champions League, even William, Prince of Wales joined those praising Vitinha’s progress in Paris. Yet such an ascent looked unlikely a few years ago, following an unsuccessful spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers during his first venture abroad.
