UEFA Europa League Top Goal Scorers After This Week Matches

Olympiacos forward Ayoub El Kaabi remains tied as the leading goal scorer in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) following the completion of the first leg of the quarter-finals on Thursday evening.

Naija News reports that in the matches, Premier League giant, Manchester United drew 2-2 with Lyon, Tottenham Hotspur ended in a 1-1 tie with Frankfurt, Rangers played to a 0-0 stalemate against Athletic Club, and Bodø/Glimt secured a 2-0 victory over Lazio.

El Kaabi, along with Bodø/Glimt’s Kasper Høgh, currently share the top scorer position in this season’s Europa League.

Both players have netted seven goals each as they head into the second leg of the quarter-finals next week.

Below are the current top goal scorers in the Europa League:

• 7 goals – Ayoub El Kaabi and Kasper Høgh
• 6 goals – Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray), Samu (Porto), Barnabás Varga (Ferencváros), Václav Černý (Rangers), Youssef En-Nesyri (Fenerbahçe), Malick Fofana (Lyon)
• 5 goals – Kenneth Taylor (Ajax), Iñaki Williams (Athletic Club), Yunus Akgün (Galatasaray), Rasmus Højlund (Manchester United), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad)

The second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals is scheduled for next Thursday.

Meanwhile, former Arsenal defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst does not see anything special in Declan Rice’s first free-kick goal during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Real Madrid.

Bronckhorst argued that Declan Rice’s free-kick goal would have been avoided if Real Madrid had organized their defense properly.

During a discussion on Ziggo Sports, Bronckhorst echoed the sentiments of former Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who remarked that Rice’s goal was fairly routine for a right-footed player.

Sneijder pointed out that Real Madrid’s wall was not positioned correctly, as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois anticipated a free-kick from left-footer Bukayo Saka.

This miscalculation allowed Rice to shoot successfully around the wall from an angle that typically should have been well-defended.

He explained, “The wall wasn’t positioned properly for that first goal. Courtois assumed Saka would take it, which led to the wall being moved to the right too much. A right-footed player shouldn’t have the opportunity to shoot around the wall from that angle.”

Bronckhorst supported Sneijder’s analysis, stating, “I agree with Wesley. The wall was too far to the right, enabling Rice to find a path to score. A shot like that should be relatively straightforward for a player in that position.”