Shola Shoritire became the youngest player to feature in European competition for Manchester United when he appeared last evening in their 0-0 draw against Real Sociedad. He was exactly aged 17 years and 23 days old.
United survived a first half scare when Mikel Oyarzabal failed to convert a penalty in the 13th minute. Oyarzabal decided to go for a hop, skip and a jump but failed terribly to hit the target as the ball sailed wide. Sociedad was trailing by 4-0 on aggregate.
Elsewhere, Leicester City’s European journey came to screeching halt when they lost 2-0 to Czech Republic’s Slavia Praha. A toothless draw in the first leg promised an exciting encounter in England as Leicester were hopeful of snatching a victory. But it was not to be.
After a barren first half, midfielder Lukas volleyed in the opener before 19-year-old striker Abdallah Sima wrapped up a thoroughly deserved victory with a fine low drive late on.
Slavia Praha are unbeaten in their Czech League. They were looking forward to continuing their fine form in England.
The last round of 16 shall witness a tussle between power houses notably Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspurs, Villarreal, AC Milan and Ajax Amsterdam.