Anthony punishes Atlético with late equaliser for Man U

Teenager Anthony Elanga came to Manchester United’s rescue as his 80th-minute strike secured a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the fi rst leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

United were seeking to emulate the three other English sides left in the Champions League by securing a fi rst-leg lead in the first knockout round, and Ralf Rangnick said on the eve of the trip to Madrid that he was prioritising this competition. But his side fell behind within seven minutes of kick-off in Spain.

Having cleared the initial corner, Atleti left-back Renan Lodi swung in a cross from the left that Joao Felix raced past Harry Maguire to greet with a stunning header that went in off the near post. Cristiano Ronaldo, whistled throughout, became increasingly irate by Atletico’s approach and the hosts went close to a second just before half-time as Sime Vrsaljko hit the crossbar.

United had produced a listless display before substitute Elanga latched onto Bruno Fernandes’ pass to reverse his shot across Jan Oblak into the bottom corner.“I think that was my fi rst touch as well,” Elanga said.

“I’ve dreamt of moments like this, scoring in the Champions League against a top opponent such as Atletico, it’s a dream come true. It’s only half-time in the tie.

UEFA to move Champions League fi nal out of Russia
UEFA will no longer stage this season’s Champions League fi nal in St. Petersburg after Russia attacked Ukraine, The Associated Press has learned. An extraordinary meeting of the UEFA executive committee will be held on Friday to discuss the geopolitical crisis and when offi cials are set to confi rm taking the May 28 showpiece game out of Russia, a person with knowledge of the process said on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.