AS Roma is doing good business in the run-up to the return against Feyenoord, Valencia sees relegation concerns increasing | Foreign football

Wijnaldum had to show it on Thursday evening in De Kuip as a substitute immediately after the break, but tonight the 32-year-old midfielder from Rotterdam kicked off again at AS Roma. Udinese was defeated 3-0 in Stadio Olimpico, where the return against Feyenoord awaits next Thursday (9 p.m.) in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Feyenoord won the first leg in the atmospheric Kuip with 1-0 thanks to a goal by Mats Wieffer.

Mourinho made four more changes to his starting eleven. Stephan El Shaarawy and Andrea Belotti came in for playmaker Paulo Dybala and striker Tammy Abraham. The Argentinian left leg may be fit again for Thursday’s return, but was not included in the selection tonight. Abraham came in for Belotti fifteen minutes before the end and signed for the 3-0 in extra time. The game was already decided by then.

AS Roma took the lead after 37 minutes. Edoardo Bove hit the rebound after midfielder Bryan Cristante’s penalty went hard against the inside of the post. Last Thursday, Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini shot hard against the outside of the post in De Kuip. Pellegrini made it 2-0 against Udinese after 55 minutes tonight.

Wijnaldum had to leave in the 60th minute due to some head complaints after a collision in an aerial duel. The Serbian controlling midfielder Nemanja Matic replaced the Rotterdammer. Udinese looked to be back in the game after 69 minutes after a penalty from Roma defender Gianluca Mancini, but Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio cleverly saved Roberto Pereyra’s penalty.

AS Roma is now third in Serie A with 56 points, five points behind fellow townsman Lazio and nineteen points behind the upcoming champions Napoli. Roma is above AC Milan (53 points) and Inter (51 points), who once again dropped points in the run-up to their returns in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Saturday.

Valencia Club de Fútbol’s relegation worries are getting more serious by the week. The six-time champion of Spain played only four seasons in the 104-year club history in Spain’s second level (most recently in 1987), but is with 27 points three points below the relegation zone with nine rounds to go in La Liga.

The team of trainer Rubén Baraja, who won two more national titles and the UEFA Cup as a Valencia midfielder at the beginning of this century, lost 0-2 to Sevilla FC in Mestalla tonight. Loïc Badé opened the score ten minutes after the break, after which Suso made it 0-2 in the 75th minute. Midfielder Ilaix Moriba (ex-Barcelona) got red in the final phase at Valencia, which had to do without Justin Kluivert, who suffered a hamstring injury last week (2-1 defeat at Almería) and has been sidelined for weeks.

Sevilla also has a difficult season in the Spanish league, but is now twelfth and with 35 points (eight above the line) seems reasonably safe after tonight. The return against Manchester United in the Europa League awaits Seville on Thursday. The record winner seemed to lose 2-0 at Old Trafford on Thursday, but unfortunate own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire made it 2-2 in the final phase.

No one doubts that FC Barcelona will soon win the 27th national title, but it will not have much shine. The team of trainer Xavi has shown little inspiration and creativity for weeks. It again led to a goalless draw this afternoon. After the 0-0 against Girona in Camp Nou last Monday, no goals were scored in the away match at Getafe today. Barcelona had 67 percent possession of the ball and the odds ratio was 5-15 (1-3 on goal) in favor of the visitors, but it was not amusing or convincing for a second what the upcoming champion showed.

It is the first time in thirty years that Barcelona is stuck at 0-0 twice in a row. Frenkie de Jong was still missing due to a hamstring injury he sustained on Sunday, March 19, when Barcelona won 2-1 against Real Madrid through a late goal and thus decided the Spanish title fight.

Barcelona is eleven points ahead of number two Real Madrid in La Liga with nine rounds to go. Barcelona’s goal difference of 53-9 is good, but especially from a defensive point of view. Before the two bloodless 0-0 duels, Barcelona lost 0-4 to Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. In February, Xavi’s team was already eliminated by Manchester United in the intermediate round of the Europa League, making the national title the only prize of the season.

Antoine Griezmann gave Atlético Madrid a two-goal victory over Almería in La Liga. Coach Diego Simeone’s team missed many opportunities for their own audience, so it remained exciting until the end: 2-1. Almería thought it would be awarded a penalty just in time after defender José María Giménez of Atlético had made a hand, but the referee concluded after reviewing the TV images that an Almería player had been offside just before.

Royal Antwerp FC has won the home match against KV Kortrijk. Arbnor Muja scored the only goal for coach Mark van Bommel’s team.

Antwerp remains number three in the Belgian league. The club is already certain of participation in the play-offs for the national title, in which the four best teams of the regular season can participate. Van Bommel let the Dutchmen Calvin Stengs, Gyrano Kerk and Vincent Janssen appear at the kick-off.

A few days before the meeting with AZ in the quarter finals of the Conference League, Anderlecht lost in the Belgian league at leader Racing Genk. The Danish coach Brian Riemer saw that the leader was 5-2 too strong for his formation from Brussels.

A lot happened in the last 10 minutes of the first half. Mbwana Samatta put the home team ahead in the 36th minute, Islam Slimani equalized, but Genk took the lead again in extra time through Aziz Ouattara Mohammed. Thanks to goals from Joseph Paintsil and Bilal El Khannous, Genk quickly ran further after the restart. Anders Dreyer then scored again for Anderlecht, 4-2. Then it was Paintsil’s turn again to determine the final score at 5-2.

The Dutch talent Bart Verbruggen was on target at Anderlecht. Former Ajax player and captain Jan Vertonghen was in defense at the club from Brussels. Anderlecht won 2-0 against AZ on Thursday. The return is next Thursday in Alkmaar. Anderlecht are in tenth place in the league.

Tonny Vilhena has given Salernitana a point with his fourth goal in Serie A. The former Feyenoord player opened the score early in the away match against Torino with a shot from the edge of the penalty area. The home club from Turin came to the same level after almost an hour of play through striker Antonio Sanabria: 1-1.

Salernitana is in fifteenth place with 30 points. Vilhena’s team has 7 points more than Hellas Verona, which is just below the relegation line. Torino is firmly in the middle bracket with 39 points. Vilhena (28) is in his first season in Serie A. Salernitana hires the midfielder from RCD Espanyol, the second club from Barcelona.