Thursday’s briefing: Arsenal outclass Real Madrid as Amorim makes Onana decision | OneFootball

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Arsenal came of age in Europe by dominating Real Madrid over two legs while Inter Milan also booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Bayern Munich.

Newcastle continued their winning run to move third in the Premier League while Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou prepared for pivotal Europa League games.

Arsenal overwhelm holders Real Madrid

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli struck at the Bernabeu as Arsenal set-up a last four appointment with Paris St Germain following a 5-1 aggregate victory over Real Madrid.

Saka made up for an earlier penalty miss by producing a superb finish to set the Gunners on the path to dispatching the holders 2-1 in the second leg of their quarter-final.

Vinicius Junior replied for Real following a mistake by William Saliba but it was otherwise a comfortable night for Arsenal, who added a second through Martinelli three minutes into added time and were driven on by man-of-the-match Declan Rice.

Inter Milan knock out Bayern Munich

Harry Kane’s hopes of European glory were ended as Bayern Munich suffered a 4-3 aggregate defeat to Inter Milan.

The tie looked to be in the balance when the England captain’s 40th goal in the competition rewarded Bayern’s dominance over the opening 52 minutes to cancel out Inter’s one-goal advantage from the first leg.

But it sparked the Serie A leaders into life as they took the lead through Lautaro Martinez and former Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard, before holding out after an Eric Dier strike.

Barcelona await in the semis.

Onana returns for United

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana will be given the opportunity to rectify last week’s mistakes when he returns to the starting line-up against Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals.

The 29-year-old, labelled “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United’s history” by Lyon’s Nemanja Matic, floundered on a hostile evening in the first leg and was dropped for Sunday’s 4-1 Premier League loss at Newcastle.

But Ruben Amorim said ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford: “Onana will play. As a coach and also as a former player, I try to do things that can help a player in this situation. Onana is ready.”

Five-star Newcastle eye Europe

Newcastle turned on the style in the absence of head coach Eddie Howe to rout Crystal Palace 5-0 and boost their Champions League qualification hopes.

Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, Fabian Schar and Alexander Isak all netted while Palace captain Marc Guehi scored an own goal minutes after team-mate Eberechi Eze had fluffed a penalty that would have made it 1-1.

Newcastle have won six straight games – including their trophy drought-ending success against Liverpool at Wembley – and in the battle for one of the five Champions League places they sit five points clear of both sixth-placed Chelsea and seventh-placed Aston Villa, who host the Magpies on Saturday.

What’s on today?

As well as Manchester United’s tie against Lyon, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham travel to Eintracht Frankfurt without injured captain Son Heung-min. Spurs drew 1-1 in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final in north London.

Barry Ferguson’s Rangers head to Bilbao in one of the other quarter-finals having held on to draw 0-0 with Athletic in the first leg last week at Ibrox.

Chelsea are well placed heading into the second leg of their Conference League last-eight clash with Legia Warsaw at Stamford Bridge after winning the opening fixture in Poland 3-0.

And in the League Two promotion battle, second-placed Bradford host sixth-placed Notts County.