De Gea saves United the blushes

SEVILLE, February 22 

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea added another heart-stopping save to his collection as his team held a highly-impressive Sevilla side to a 0-0 draw away from home in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.

The Spain international foiled Colombian striker Luis Muriel from point-blank range at the end of the first half not long after tipping over an overhead kick from Argentine defender Gabriel Mercado as the Spaniards created far more chances than Jose Mourinho’s side.

United forward Romelu Lukaku spurned a rare clear opening in the first period when he punted a pass from Alexis Sanchez well over the bar and the Belgian had a goal ruled out for handball late in the second.

Sevilla fired 25 shots at De Gea’s goal while United only had six attempts, only one of which was on target. United coach Jose Mourinho, however, said he did not feel his side had been fortunate to leave Spain with the tie still wide open.

The second leg takes place at Old Trafford on March 13, where United will be looking to reach the last eight of the competition for the first time since 2014, with Sevilla hoping finally to get past the last-16 barrier they have failed to overcome in three previous attempts.

Shakhtar’s South Americans too strong for Roma

At Kharkiv, Ukraine, Shakhtar Donetsk’s South American blend proved too strong for AS Roma as goals from Facundo Ferreyra and Fred gave them a 2-1 win in a Champions League tie played in freezing conditions.

The Serie A team appeared to be coasting in the round of 16 first-leg tie when Cengiz Under put them ahead with his fifth goal in four games four minutes before halftime.

Yet as the temperature dipped towards minus nine Celsius, Argentine striker Ferreyra took advantage of poor Roma defending to score with an expertly-taken goal in the 52nd minute.

That turned the game on its head and it was no surprise when Brazilian midfielder Fred curled in a free kick off the underside of the crossbar to stun the visitors in the 71st minute. — Reuters 

Real rise to third after beating Leganes 

Madrid: Real Madrid came from behind to win 3-1 at neighbours Leganes on Wednesday, despite coach Zinedine Zidane resting Cristiano Ronaldo, as they climbed into third place in the Liga standings for the first time since December 2. Leganes defender Unai Bustinaza gave the home side the lead in the sixth minute by cashing in on some slack defending by Real, sliding in at the back post to knock the ball towards goal and then bundling in the rebound after poor goalkeeping from Kiko Casilla. Spanish winger Lucas Vazquez pulled the champions back into the game five minutes later by latching on to a backheel by Casemiro and arrowing his finish into the far bottom corner. Vazquez then returned the favour to Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who finished off a slick passing move to give Real the lead in the 29th, while Real captain Sergio Ramos rounded off the scoring by converting a penalty in stoppage time. — Reuters