Another 5 lousy European nights for Manchester United

Manchester United had a bad night in Europe on Thursday night.

Their hopes of winning the Europa League ended with a 3-0 defeat in the quarter-final second leg against Sevilla in Spain.

Here, the PA news agency looks at another five nights to forget about United in Europe.

Sporting Lisbon 5 Man Utd 0 (Sporting won 6-4 on aggregate) – Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final, 18 March 1964

United looked to be in command of the quarter-final against Sporting after winning 4-1 at Old Trafford in the first leg. But a team that included the holy trinity of George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton learned some hard lessons in Portugal, as they were beaten 5-0 by the eventual winners and eliminated from the tournament.

Man Utd 0 Fenerbahce 1 – Champions League group stage, October 30, 1996

United had never been beaten in European competition at Old Trafford before this game, a run of 56 matches dating back to 1956. Few would have backed Fenerbahçe to end that proud record, but Turkey was emerging as a footballing powerhouse. and there was no better illustration than the victory of Elvir Bolic’s goal, another blow for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side after losing back-to-back league games 5-0 and 6-3 to Newcastle and Southampton.

Zalaegerszeg 1 Man Utd 0 – Champions League Preliminary Round First Leg, 14 August 2002

In 2001/02 United failed to finish in the top two for the first time in the Premier League. That forced them into Champions League playoffs, and they got a scare when they traveled to Hungary and were shocked to defeat their little-known hosts thanks to Bela Koplarovic’s last-minute goal. United would go on to win the second leg 5-0, but it was still a humiliating night in the club’s history.

Basel 2 Man Utd 1 – Champions League group stage, December 7, 2011

United should have made light work of a Champions League group that paired them with Basel, Benfica and Otelul Galati. But after drawing three of their first five games, they went to Switzerland looking for a win. Instead, goals from Marco Streller and Alexander Frei put Basel in command, and Phil Jones’s late consolation effort failed to prevent only United’s second group stage elimination since the mid-1990s.

FC Midtjylland 2 Man Utd 1, Europa League Round of 32 first leg, 18 February 2016

There were extenuating circumstances for this. Injuries forced Louis van Gaal to field a back four with Donald Love, Paddy McNair, Chris Smalling and Daley Blind, but even so, this result still stung. Even more so considering that United had taken the lead through Memphis Depay before goals from Pione Sisto and Paul Onuachu gave the Danish club a night to remember.