Manchester United Held to Draw by FC Twente in Europa League Opener

Manchester United began their Europa League campaign with a lackluster 1-1 draw against FC Twente at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Christian Eriksen initially put United ahead with a powerful strike in the first half, but later his mistake led to Sam Lammers scoring the equalizer for Twente in the 68th minute.

United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, fielded a strong team against Twente, a club with which he has significant history, having been both a player and a coach there. The lineup saw Marcus Rashford back as a starter following his substitute appearance in the goalless draw against Crystal Palace. Harry Maguire was brought in for Matthijs de Ligt in defense, and Manuel Ugarte replaced Kobbie Mainoo.

The match had its early tensions, with Twente’s Lammers missing a close chance after a lapse from Diogo Dalot. Twente’s keeper, Lars Unnerstall, later made a crucial save, preventing an own goal by Mees Hilgers. However, Unnerstall was unable to stop Eriksen’s impressive goal after the ball found the midfielder in the Twente box. Despite Twente leveling through Lammers, who capitalized on Eriksen’s error, Unnerstall continued to impress, notably saving a potent strike from Joshua Zirkzee and a late header from Maguire, ensuring the score remained even.

The draw marked an uninspiring start for United in the newly formatted 36-team league phase that now resembles the Champions League’s structure.

Elsewhere in the Europa League, Porto suffered a 3-2 defeat to Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt despite having a numerical advantage in the second half. AZ Alkmaar secured a 3-2 win over Elfsborg, with Ruben van Bommel scoring twice and Troy Parrott clinching the win with a penalty. Galatasaray won 3-1 against PAOK thanks to a last-minute goal by Mauro Icardi.

In other matches, Nice settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad after a missed penalty by Evann Guessand. Ander Barrenetxea and Pablo Rosario were the goal scorers for their respective teams. Slavia Prague beat Ludogorets 2-0 away, Midtjylland and Hoffenheim drew 1-1, and Anderlecht defeated Ferencvaros 2-1. Lazio won 3-0 against Dynamo Kyiv in a match in Hamburg, where each side had a player sent off.