By Alan Duffy

It may well be the preserve of Thursday nights and Channel Five, but the Europa League, now ready for the knock-out stages is still peppered with some of Europe's big guns. Probably the biggest in the competition, Manchester United, will face another all-time European great, Ajax, in the last 32, a tie which has more than a hint of glamour.

By Chris Wright

Here's a little firecracker to start the morning off. Last night's last-16 tie in the KNVB Cup between Ajax and AZ Alkmaar had to be abandoned after just 38 minutes (with Ajax leading 1-0) after an incident involving a pitch invader caused the away side to leave the field in protest.

By Chris Wright

Here's a little firecracker to start the morning off. Last night's last-16 tie in the KNVB Cup between Ajax and AZ Alkmaar had to be abandoned after just 38 minutes (with Ajax leading 1-0) after an incident involving a pitch invader caused the away side to leave the field in protest.

Can we ever love the Europa League? Two great cups have merged into a dud

It's Thursday, so it must be the Europa League. Hapoel Tel Aviv v Legia Warsaw. AZ Alkmaar v FC Metalist Kharkiv. Birmingham v NK Maribor. Get ready to switch TV channels. Does anybody fancy watching EastEnders?

Jozy Altidore scored his fifth goal of the season for AZ Alkmaar, but lost 5-1, snapping an 11-game unbeaten streak.
How the rest of our Americans did check out Steve Goff's Washington Post blog.
Video of Jozy's goal.
Video from 723 Football Media


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By FRANCO PANIZO

Jozy Altidore has been no stranger to scoring nice goals this season, but the one he bagged this weekend is arguably among his best of the year.

Altidore finished off a beautiful passing sequence in AZ Alkmaar's match against Heerenveen when he got an open look from close range after a beautiful first touch that got him by a defender.

Dempsey faces a fight to stay in the Europa League. Fulham must get a result at home over Odense.

As the final matchday of the Europa League group stages approaches Wednesday and Thursday, so does the best chance to see Americans in action overseas on a TV near you. And with some of the Americans' teams in danger of crashing out of Europa, it may be the last chance for a while.

Europa League can we ever love it?

It's Thursday, so it must be the Europa League. Hapoel Tel Aviv v Legia Warsaw. AZ Alkmaar v FC Metalist Kharkiv. Birmingham v NK Maribor. Get ready to switch TV channels. Does anybody fancy watching EastEnders?

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-12-15 09:22:06 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 32 DRAW

Porto v Manchester City

Ajax v Manchester United

Lokomotiv Moscow v Athletic Bilbao

Salzburg v Metalist Kharkiv

Stoke City v Valencia

Rubin Kazan v Olympiacos

AZ Alkmaar v Anderlecht

Lazio v Atletico Madrid

Steaua Bucharest v Twente

Viktoria Plzen v Schalke

Wisla Krakow v Standard Liege

Braga v Besiktas

Udinese v PAOK

Trabzonspor v PSV Eindhoven

Hannover v Brugge

Legia Warsaw v Sporting

* First legs to be played February 16, second legs February 23

EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 16 DRAW

FC Salzburg/Metalist v Rubin Kazan/Olympiacos

Legia/Sporting v Porto/Manchester City

Steaua/Twente v Viktoria Plzen/Schalke

Wisla/Standard Liege v Hannover/Brugge

Stoke/Valencia v Trabzonspor/PSV Eindhoven

Alkmaar/Anderlecht v Udinese/PAOK

Lazio/Atletico Madrid v Braga/Besiktas

Ajax/Manchester United v Lokomotiv Moscow/Athletic Bilbao

* First legs to be played March 8, second legs March 15.

Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar will play their final game before the month-long winter break on Wednesday evening when they travel to Amsterdam to face Ajax in the Dutch Cup.

AZ Alkmaar's Dutch Cup match with Ajax pitted two of the Netherlands' top teams against each other and figured to produce some fireworks. Just not like this.

With Ajax leading 1-0 in the 36th minute, a fan raced from the stands at Amsterdam ArenA and went after AZ goalkeeper Esteban, who defended himself by kicking the fan on the ground.

Defend the referee or defend AZ Alkmaar keeper Esteban?

In case you missed it, things got pretty heated at the Amsterdam ArenA last night. In the 37th minute, when Ajax were up 1-nil in the Dutch Cup, an Ajax fan ran on to the pitch and attacked AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban. The Costa Rican keeper, seeing the threat of a 19-year-old hooligan coming his way, retaliated.

During yesterday's Dutch League match between Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, an Ajax fan invaded the pitch and went running towards AZ's keeper, Esteban Alvarado, who managed to trip the 19 year old invader and then kicked him for good measure. The match's referee then awarded a red card to Alvarado, who is from Costa Rica, an act that resulted in AZ abandoning the match.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Stanley Gontha.

We don't often get to use the terms 'mayhem' and 'drama' when we're talking about the KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup). That's mainly because we rarely bother to cover it, but our attention was drawn specifically to the game between AZ Alkmaar and Ajax last night, when a fan onto the pitch and tried to attack Alkmaar 'keeper Esteban.

Brett Holman's miss for Dutch league leaders AZ Alkmaar against NAC Breda was right up there with Fernando Torres and Ronny Rozenthal's epic misses, what made it worse was his team were beaten 2-1.

AZ keeper Esteban Alvarado was sent off following this incident on Wednesday

AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado has had his red card from Wednesday's Round of 16 KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup) match against Ajax Amsterdam rescinded.

The keeper was attacked by an Ajax fan only for Esteban to retaliate on the attacker by kicking him whilst he was on the ground, a response which was deemed inappropriate by referee Bas Nijhuis who then sent off the keeper much to the astonishment and fury of the AZ players and staff.

AZ keeper Esteban Alvarado was sent off following this incident on Wednesday

AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado has had his red card from Wednesday's Round of 16 KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup) match against Ajax Amsterdam rescinded.

The keeper was attacked by an Ajax fan only for Esteban to retaliate on the attacker by kicking him whilst he was on the ground, a response which was deemed inappropriate by referee Bas Nijhuis who then sent off the keeper much to the astonishment and fury of the AZ players and staff.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

FIFA has been ordered to release documents pertaining to its involvement with former marketing partner ISL by the Swiss supreme court.

The documents contain information about several FIFA members who took millions of dollars in kickbacks from ISL during the negotiation of television broadcast deals for the World Cup, with former FIFA president Joao Havelange and 2014 World Cup organizer Ricardo Teixeira at the forefront of the scandal.

The 19 year old Dutch fan who's attempted assault on AZ Alkmaar keeper Esteban Alvarado turned sour when the Costa Rican stopper turned aggressor and kicked the fan to the ground was given a four year jail term yesterday.

He was also given an additional two month suspended sentence and ordered to report to Police during matches involving Ajax, AZ Alkmaar and the Dutch national team for two years.