Europa/Conference League wrap: Maguire hands Ten Hag lifeline

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire emerged as the unlikely hero, handing Erik ten Hag a vital lifeline with a 90th-minute equaliser against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.

United ensured they returned to England with a hard-fought point, thanks to Maguire’s header from Christian Eriksen’s corner, securing a 3-3 draw.

This marked United’s first point in the Europa League.

The match at Estadio do Dragao was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with United scoring early through Marcus Rashford’s seventh-minute strike.

Rashford buried Eriksen’s pass past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Andre Onana made crucial saves to deny Porto.

Rashford then assisted Rasmus Hojlund for United’s second in the 20th minute.

However, Porto fought back, capitalising on defensive miscommunication.

Pepe scored in the 27th minute, followed by Samuel Omorodion’s equaliser in the 34th minute.

Omorodion sealed his brace in the 50th minute, putting Porto ahead. Onana made vital saves to keep United in the game.

Ten Hag made strategic substitutions, introducing Alejandro Garnacho, Joshua Zirkee, Anthony, Maguire, and Jonny Evans.

The game took a turn for the worse when Bruno Fernandes received a second yellow card, reducing United to 10 men.

Yet, Maguire’s late header silenced critics ahead of their Sunday clash against Aston Villa.

Chelsea Marks 300th European Game with Style

Chelsea celebrated their 300th European game in style, defeating Gent 4-2 in the UEFA Conference League. Enzo Maresca’s side dominated, despite fielding a largely reserve team.

Renato Veiga’s early header and Pedro Neto’s strike after halftime set the tone.

Tsuyoshi Watanabe briefly reduced the deficit for Gent, but Christopher Nkunku’s fourth goal in two starts and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s maiden Chelsea goal sealed the win.

Chelsea’s attacking flair shone, but defensive lapses allowed Gent’s Watanabe and Omri Gandelman to score consolation goals.

Maresca’s 11 changes from Saturday’s win over Brighton paid off, with his players responding with a dominant display.

Mixed fortunes for Nigerian players

In other matches, Steven Alfred scored his first Europa Conference League goal in Dinamo Minsk’s 2-1 home defeat to Hearts.

Raymon Adeola also saw action for Dinamo Minsk.

Geoffrey Chinedu and Nnamdi Ahanonu helped FC Astana secure a narrow victory over TCS in the Europa Conference League.

Kevin Akpoguma put in a solid defensive shift, contributing to Hoffenheim’s clean sheet in their 2-0 Europa League win over Dynamo Kyiv.

Sadiq Umar assisted Real Sociedad’s goal in their 2-1 home loss to Anderlecht, while Fisayo Dele-Bashiru created three chances for Lazio in their 4-1 Europa League victory over Nice.

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Victor Osimhen missed Galatasaray’s 2-2 draw against Rigas FS due to injury.

The Turkish giants had taken a two-goal lead through Dries Mertens and Mauro Icardi but were forced to settle for a draw.

Eintracht Frankfurt cruised to a 3-1 win over Besiktas, while Fenerbahce salvaged a 1-1 draw with Twente thanks to Dusan Tadic’s stunning equaliser.