PARIS: Paul Pogba returned from injury to score the winner as Manchester United beat AC Milan 1-0 on Thursday to join Arsenal and Ajax Amsterdam in the Europa League quarter-finals, while Mislav Orsic netted a hat trick as Dinamo Zagreb produced one of the great European fightbacks to stun Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 and eliminate the London team.
United edged their heavyweight tie with Milan in the San Siro as Pogba was brought on at halftime and had an immediate impact as he scored two minutes later to help United secure a 2-1 aggregate victory.
“Paul looked like he’d been out for six weeks. He’s been working really hard but playing football is a different matter and you can see that he needs more time,” United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. “He couldn’t play for more than 45 minutes and he’ll get better and better which is fantastic for us for the rest of the season ... He’s going to give us a big boost.”
Arsenal overcame Olympiakos 3-2 on aggregate despite losing the second leg 1-0 while Ajax beat Young Boys 2-0 for a 5-0 aggregate victory. AS Roma and Villarreal went through as well.
The night belonged to Zagreb, however, and in particular Orsic who scored a sublime hat-trick to stun Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham.
Orsic completed his hat trick with the winner in extra time as Zagreb overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg to reach the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.
Dinamo’s win was even more remarkable because coach Zoran Mamic had quit four days ago after being handed a five-year prison sentence for tax evasion and fraud involving Luka Modric’s move to Tottenham and other transfers.
This was a wonderful game — one you like to dream about, but you don’t dare to,” said Damir Krznar, who replaced Mamic. “The [quarter-final] draw? We are enjoying this position and let fortune bring us whoever. We will be ready, like we were for Tottenham.”
Zagreb looked better organised throughout against Tottenham, although the hosts needed more than an hour to break the deadlock.
Orsic curled in a marvellous shot from the corner of the area to give Dinamo the lead on 62 minutes, and he finished off a flowing move in the 83rd minute to send the tie into extra time.
With Tottenham on the ropes Orsic delivered the knockout blow when he dribbled round Tottenham players before firing a low drive beyond Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from the edge of the box on 106 minutes, prompting ecstatic celebrations.
Zagreb resisted a belated Tottenham siege in which Harry Kane and Gareth Bale were denied what would have been a winner by home keeper Dominik Livakovic.

It was a crushing blow for Spurs and one that left manager Jose Mourinho accusing his players of failing to match the attitude of a Zagreb side he praised for leaving their“blood, sweat and tears” on the pitch.
My team didn’t look like they were playing an important match. If for any one of them it is not an important match, for me it is, for the respect I have for my own career and for my own job, every match is an important match,” Mourinho said.
In Milan, former United forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic also made his comeback from injury as a substitute but saw his best effort saved as his powerful header was clawed away by goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
“There’s so much disappointment, we played two matches well, today we just missed a goal,” Ibrahimovic said. “We made an error at the back but thats football and if you don’t take your chances its more difficult to go through. But now Ill be back to help the team. ... We didn’t deserve to go out tonight, but you also learn from negative moments to grow and we’ll move forward.”
Ibrahimovic played for United from 2016-18, helping them win the Europa League in 2017. That was the English side’s last trophy.
After conceding a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, United started positively but Milan slowly got into the match and had the best chance with the last kick of the first half as Rade Krunic volleyed wide of the left post.
Pogba had missed the past 10 matches but warmed up during halftime and replaced Marcus Rashford immediately after the break. And he put United in front moments later.
Milan failed to clear the ball following a shot by Daniel James and the ball eventually fell to Pogba, who fired into the roof of the net from close range.
Pogba almost set up a second for United three minutes later when he found Mason Greenwood but the forward’s attempt was saved by Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Pogba also headed over shortly before full time in a dynamic performance from the Frenchman.
Three-time European champions United are one of two English clubs in the last eight, as Arsenal also qualified despite suffering a loss at home to Olympiakos avenging their exit to the Greeks on away goals last season.
After a tight first half, Youssef El-Arabi, who also scored in the first leg, weaved through the box to score and give the Greek side hope after 51 minutes.
Arsenal missed a number of chances throughout the game, with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wasting a trio of opportunities, but the visitors hopes were ended when Ousseynou Ba was sent off for a second booking seven minutes from time.
Really happy to be through. We had a tough opponent, so happy to be through. Sometimes we have to be fair with ourselves — we were nowhere near the levels we could be,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Roma cruised through after a 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Kiev completed a 5-1 victory on aggregate.
Spanish striker Borja Mayoral scored both goals for the Italian side either side of a reply from Junior Moraes.
It was equally comfortable for Ajax, who made sure of their passage into the next round as a David Neres goal and Dusan Tadic penalty rounded off a win at Young Boys.
Gerard Moreno’s double in Spain gave Villarreal a second 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev in as many weeks, while Granada extended their debut run in Europe, going through 3-2 overall despite a 2-1 loss to Norway’s Molde in Budapest.
Newly-crowned Scottish champions Rangers slipped out after a 2-0 home defeat by Slavia Prague following a 1-1 draw away.
Peter Olayinka gave Slavia an early lead at Ibrox and Rangers’ hopes of a comeback suffered a double blow with Kemar Roofe and then Leon Balogun sent off for the Scottish champions in the second half.
Nicolae Stanciu’s free-kick immediately after Balogun’s dismissal ensured victory for Slavia.
Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2021