Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Tottenham Hotspur were crowned UEFA Europa League champions for the third time in their history, beating Manchester United 1-0 in an all-English final on Wednesday evening.
The first half was messy, with neither team taking control nor creating solid chances.
Then, just before halftime, the Spurs managed to break through. In the 42nd minute, Pape Sarr sent a cross into the box, which deflected off Luke Shaw and got a final touch from Brennan Johnson, Tottenham’s top scorer in all competitions.
“This is what it’s all about. The club hasn’t won a trophy for 17 years. Honestly, this is what it means. It means so much. All the fans get battered, we get battered about not winning a trophy, not winning anything. … I’m so happy,” Johnson told the TNT Sports broadcast after the match.
The north London club secured qualification for the UEFA Champions League with this chaotically delicious win, despite finishing 17th in the Premier League table, three points above the relegation zone.
Tottenham also won their first title since winning the League Cup in 2008 and qualified to compete in the UEFA Super Cup 2025 in Italy, waiting for the winner of the Champions League title between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan.
Ange Postecoglou’s win in the Europa League is a huge moment for him, especially given the criticism he’s faced for Tottenham’s poor Premier League form this season.
His bold claim last September, “I always win things in my second year,” was met with skepticism at the time. But he has now backed it up with silverware and won Tottenham their first continental trophy since the 1983-84 season.
As for Manchester United, they ended their season with “empty hands” and will miss European participation next season, after finishing sixteenth in the English Premier League.
This is Manchester United’s second loss in the Europa League final, after falling to Villarreal in the 2021 edition.
“We were the better team, but if you don’t score goals, you don’t win matches,” said Rúben Amorim in the press conference after the game
Manchester United pressed hard in the second half, searching for an equalizer. After a free-kick mistake by Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, Rasmus Højlund sent a header toward an open goal. But in an acrobatic move, Micky van de Ven made a quick scissor-kick clearance in the 62nd minute, keeping Spurs ahead and delivering a standout moment in the match.
The referee called for seven minutes of stoppage time. Manchester United came close to an equalizer with several attempts, most notably Harry Maguire’s header and Lenny Yorke’s shot that went above the crossbar.
In the final moments, Diogo Dalot played a cross that Luke Shaw met with a header, but Vicario produced a match-winning save. The resulting corner kick fell to Casemiro, who attempted the spectacular with a scissor kick that hit the net from the outside. Moments later, the referee blew the final whistle, confirming Tottenham as the Europa League champions.
