Thursday 30 January 2025 22:16
- Share With email
Manchester United are through to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League, following a 2-0 win away to FCSB on the eighth and final matchday of the competition’s league phase.
Two goals in the space of eight second-half minutes were enough to earn the victory, with Diogo Dalot opening the scoring at Romania’s National Arena on the hour mark.
Having assisted that strike, Kobbie Mainoo was on hand to double the lead shortly after, as the Reds made a controlled performance count in front of our travelling fans in Bucharest.
The result sees Ruben Amorim’s side finish third in the table, as one of the top-eight teams that will skip February’s knockout round play-offs and go straight into March’s round of 16.
Two second-half goals were enough to ensure last-16 qualification in Bucharest.
FIRST HALF – REDS PATIENT IN POSSESSION
United started the evening in fourth place and were allowed to dominate the early possession by the hosts, having 68 per cent of the ball in the opening 10 minutes.
Despite that control on proceedings, it was FCSB who had the game’s first significant scoring chance after Tyrell Malacia was late in his tackle on Florin Tanase. A free-kick was awarded around 25 yards out and Mihai Popescu stretched to meet Risto Radunovic’s dangerous ball into the 18-yard box but poked his effort across Altay Bayindir’s posts and narrowly wide.
That opportunity seemed to spark the Reds into some probing action of our own, with a series of promising moments arriving at the other end. Popescu was back to get his leg between the ball and Mainoo’s attempt at a close-range volley, after our no.37 cleverly flicked the ball over another defender, before Christian Eriksen saw a fierce left-footed strike beaten away by the strong palms of goalkeeper Stefan Tarnovanu.
Eriksen and Mainoo – playing in the attacking-midfield positions behind striker Rasmus Hojlund – continued to get into threatening areas and the latter will have been wondering how he didn’t score in the 19th minute. Kobbie timed his run into the box well but couldn’t quite keep his first-time connection with Hojlund’s cutback down, placing it over a grateful Tarnovanu’s crossbar.
Rasmus was provider on that occasion and, although our flow of openings began to slow somewhat past the midway mark of the half, United’s no.9 was granted the space to try and add to his five goals in this season’s Europa League shortly after. He connected with Lisandro Martinez’s floated ball over the top of the defence, but couldn’t quite generate enough power on his header to steer it away from the grasp of the goalkeeper.
Martinez, the goalscoring hero in last weekend’s win at Fulham, was almost playing as an attacking midfielder himself as Amorim’s men continued to have the lion’s share of the ball in the first 45 minutes, but the Romanian champions held firm at the back despite the majority of the play happening in their half.
Sunday’s hero was heavily involved in the first half at the National Arena.
SECOND HALF – PRESSURE PAYS OFF
Both teams were inside the top-eight spots and on course to qualify for the last 16 as the second period got under way, but one of Amorim’s two half-time introductions almost changed that situation immediately. Alejandro Garnacho, on for Tyrell Malacia, pounced on a loose back-pass and found himself racing through on goal, but rolled his left-footed shot onto the post and behind.
Had Garna found the net, the hosts would have dropped from eighth position in the table, but a goal scored by Olympiacos elsewhere soon saw that scenario play out anyway. The National Arena continued to will their team on, but they were still yet to have a shot on target, and Daniel Birligea’s strike wide from long range was perhaps a sign of frustration beginning to creep in.
At the other end, the woodwork was struck again out of nowhere, when Bruno Fernandes let fly from distance. The captain, who was hoping to mark his five-year anniversary of signing for the club with a cracking goal, saw his powerful 25-yard drive rattle off the crossbar.
United were getting closer to a goal that would make our own qualification position feel more comfortable, and it deservedly arrived on the hour mark. Some neat football after a throw-in on the right saw Eriksen slip Mainoo into the inside channel, and our no.37 belted an inviting low ball across the six-yard area that Dalot was there to convert into an empty net.
Diogo pulled out his trademark celebration after opening his goalscoring account for the season.
The full-back, and his Reds team-mates enjoyed the subsequent celebrations with our travelling Reds at the end the goal was scored, but were almost instantly pegged back at the other end. This time it was Bayindir’s bar that was struck by Birligea’s attempt from a way out, before an offside Tanase headed the rebound wide from a closer proximity.
That chance, if anything, was a warning that this game was far from done making Mainoo’s advantage-doubler all the more welcome shortly after. Garnacho worked an angle to cut the ball back to his fellow Academy graduate who, having missed a similar opportunity in the first half, made no mistake this time around with a low finish.
From that point, it looked a long shot for our Romanian opponents to get back into the contest, but their fans nor players gave up on their endeavours. A lights show in the stands caught the eye in the closing stages, as Bayindir was required to push behind a goalbound attempt from substitute Alexandru Baluta.
Fernandes prodded wide before his corner was headed over by Casemiro as United searched for a third goal late on, but it wasn’t needed with the full-time whistle going soon after, and the two enough to see United secure a spot in March’s last 16.
Kobbie impressed and was involved in both goals on the night.
MATCH DETAILS
FCSB: Tarnovanu; Popescu, Ngezana, Dawa; Cretu (Baluta 66), Edjouma (Alhassan 46), Sut (c), Radunovic; F. Tanase (Stefanescu 77), Birligea, Miculescu (Musi 77).
Substitutes: Udrea, Dan Popa, Chiriches, Toma, Paneta.
Booked: Alhassan, Baluta, Dawa.
United: Bayindir; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez (Yoro 71); Dalot, Mainoo, Collyer (Amad 46), Malacia (Garnacho 46); Fernandes (c), Eriksen (Casemiro 72); Hojlund (Zirkzee 80).
Substitutes: Heaton, Onana, Lindelof, Maguire, Ugarte.
Booked: Malacia.
Goals: Dalot 60, Mainoo 68.
Attendance: 50,128.
Recommended:
Thursday 30 January 2025 22:16
- Share With email
Back to Top
